Officials to Take 'Hard Look' at Narrowed Maple Street

New Providence officials told frustrated residents last week that they should take another look at the narrowing of a portion of Maple Street.

Residents told the governing body that the 470-foot stretch of Maple that was narrowed by six feet to accommodate sidewalks and eliminate parking has made it hard on visitors and presents dangers to residents accessing their homes, according to the Alternative Press.

But council members expressed surprise when a resident said that they had never been asked permission to remove stone walls that exist at two homes, as their removal would have negated the need for a narrowing of the road.

“We should take a hard look at tearing down the walls and restoring the six feet,” Councilman Dr. Bob Robinson said.

Mayor J. Brooke Hern said, “If safety requires we do it over, we should.”

The Maple sidewalks were installed this summer using $180,000 from a Safe Routes to School grant to accommodate students attending nearby Salt Brook School, the Alternative Press reported.