Verona To Hold ‘Complete Streets Corridor Assessment’

VERONA, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Township of Verona. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Verona Township will conduct a Complete Streets Corridor Assessment along a half-mile stretch of Linden Avenue through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Complete Streets Technical Assistance Program. The Township was one of five municipalities selected through a competitive application process and will receive assistance in documenting existing conditions, exploring potential improvements, and developing recommendations to help improve health and safety for people biking and walking

“We are pleased to have been selected for the Complete Streets Corridor Assessment focusing on Linden Avenue and the surrounding area, a project that will greatly enhance the safety for all travelers in Verona,” Mayor Christopher Tamburro said. “This competitive process highlights the Township’s commitment to creating a safe and accessible community. We look forward to breaking ground in early 2025.”

The assessment will focus on Linden Avenue from Fairview Avenue to Wildwood Terrace. This corridor is near several public schools as well as the Bloomfield Avenue town center. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists traverse Linden Avenue to access these various destinations. Speeding is a concern along Linden Avenue, particularly with the number of students using the road to walk to school. This assessment will explore ways to make the road safer, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists.

“Complete Streets help make our roads safer for everyone, especially people walking and biking,” said NJTPA Chair John P. Kelly, an Ocean County Commissioner. “They also help create more equitable and healthy communities by giving people more options when travelling. This program helps municipalities advance their Complete Streets goals.”

In addition to Verona, Belleville, Belmar, Paterson and Readington will also receive technical assistance.

“We’re thrilled to have two Essex County municipalities selected to participate in this competitive program,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., who represents the County on the NJTPA Board of Trustees. “This project will help Verona explore ways to make the Bloomfield Avenue town center safer, especially for students travelling to nearby schools.”

The NJTPA funds this program and provides technical assistance in partnership with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University and Sustainable Jersey. The Complete Streets Technical Assistance Program helps municipalities bring together key stakeholders to explore a local safety concern and develop concepts for potential solutions using a collaborative approach. Projects can include a bicycle corridor or network plan or a Complete Streets assessment of a one-mile corridor. The program can also be used to develop a Complete and Green Streets Policy. Projects may include demonstration projects or conceptual renderings of proposed future improvements.

“It is valuable for municipalities to receive hands-on guidance to move their Complete Streets projects forward. Complete and Green Streets have numerous safety, environmental, equity and health benefits,” said Randall Solomon, Executive Director of Sustainable Jersey. “This work is an important element in the comprehensive sustainability programs of our communities and contributes to our mission to create a more sustainable New Jersey.”

Complete Streets balance the needs of drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, emergency responders, goods movement and stormwater management based on the local context. They help improve health and safety for people walking and biking and create better places to live, work, play, learn, and do business. When streets are not complete, the negative impacts on public health, safety, equity, the economy, and the environment are disproportionately borne by low-income and minority communities

Improving safety is a key goal of this program. “Across New Jersey and the broader nation, we’ve seen a troubling rise in roadway fatalities, particularly among pedestrians and cyclists. The recommendations that are developed through these projects will help communities enhance the safety of their roadways for all users,” said Jon A. Carnegie, Executive Director of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center.

This is the fourth time the NJTPA has offered technical assistance to municipalities in its region. Seven projects were completed in 2023, eight projects were completed in 2020 and nine projects were completed in 2019. The final reports are available on NJTPA’s Complete Streets webpage, njtpa.org/completestreets.

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