Major Morristown Street Project Pushed Back: Schedule, Traffic Impacts

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Drivers who were bracing for a sticky commute in and out of Morristown later this week will have a bit longer before a major sewer project begins on Morris Street, officials announced.

The work was originally set to begin on Thursday, Feb. 29, but officials have changed the start date to Monday, March 11. Crews will be installing 475 feet of new sanitary sewer main between Ridgedale Avenue and Ford Avenue, and the road will be partially closed for several months.

Construction is expected to continue until mid-July, with work hours set between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. A long-term work zone will be set up on Morris Street, east of Ridgedale Ave.

Eastbound traffic (leaving Morristown) will remain open, but will be restricted to one lane for the duration of the work. Westbound traffic from Ford/Taft will be closed, and drivers will have to take a detour route.

There will be parking restrictions on the east side of Ford, and other areas as needed, officials added.

Here are the detour routes officials posted earlier for this project:

Phase 1 Detour (for the first two months)

• Traffic on Ford Avenue and Taft Lane intending to travel westbound on Morris Street will be detoured to head eastbound on Morris Street. Vehicles will turn left onto Lafayette Avenue, followed by a left turn onto Ridgedale Avenue, leading back to Morris Street.

Phase 2 Detour

• Taft Lane will maintain the detour as defined in Phase 1. Traffic on Hill Street and Leona Drive will be redirected to make a right turn onto Ford Avenue. Vehicles will then turn right onto Franklin Street, followed by a right turn onto Elm Street, ultimately leading to Morris Street.

Colonelli Brothers Construction Company will complete the work, under a contract with the Town of Morristown. Anyone with questions or concerns may contact the Morristown Division of Engineering at 973-292-6670.