Wyckoff: Route 208 Culvert Replacement To Begin This Winter

WYCKOFF, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Transportation is preparing to begin work on a Route 208 culvert replacement project in Wyckoff. Details about the project were recently released.

According to the NJDOT, the existing culvert was originally constructed in the 1950s, and the structure "is in poor condition with heavy corrosion, water leakage and open vertical and horizontal joints."

Improvements have been done over the years — 1970 and 1993 — and the culvert was concrete lined between 2005 and 2009 to "address deficiencies and cover cracks and corrosion," the DOT said.

However, the culvert is "significantly distorted" and doesn't have the "hydraulic capacity to convey the discharge from the 25-year storm event."

That's what wrong with the culvert, but what are the proposed changes? Here's what the DOT is proposing:

"The project proposes to replace the existing culvert with a 76” x 48” reinforced concrete elliptical pipe/culvert to accommodate the 25-year storm event without adversely impacting adjacent properties. Existing guiderail, along Route 208, will also be replaced to meet current standards. It is anticipated that this proposed work will not require acquisition of property or impact utilities.

The construction of the culvert will be accomplished in four stages, starting with the removal of the median barrier on Route 208, to allow for traffic shifts around the work zones. Once the culvert construction is complete, the median barrier will be replaced."

Construction is slated to begin sometime this winter, Wyckoff officials announced, and the project could be completed by the fall of 2024.