HILLSDALE, N.J.—The borough’s primary east/west thoroughfare will close at 7 a.m. Wednesday, July 24 in both directions for a railroad crossing repair expected to last one week, said the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Busses have replaced all weekend Pascack Valley Line trains and weekday trains between 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Aug. 24 for the work, which has seen Hillsdale railroad crossing repairs at Washington Avenue, Orchard Street and Parkview Drive.
New Jersey Transit spokesperson Lisa Torbic told Pascack Press that railroad grade crossing work will also be performed in Emerson, Park Ridge and at two locations in Rockland County, N.Y., during this period of substitute busing.
Hillsdale Avenue detours will be in place, said NJDOT.
Traveling eastbound? You’ll be told to turn left on Patterson Street, then right onto Orchard Street, then right onto Broadway, then left back onto Hillsdale Avenue.
Westbound travelers will be directed left onto Broadway, then right onto Washington Avenue, which becomes Patterson Street, then back left onto Hillsdale Avenue.
“The traffic detours will be coordinated with the local police. If work is completed earlier, the roadway will be reopened accordingly,” NJDOT said, adding that precise timing is subject to change due to weather or other factors.
Local officials have asked for repairs on the bumpy railroad crossings in recent years.
Hillsdale Mayor John Ruocco had demanded action in a September 2018 letter to the state Department of Transportation commissioner.
“For the past two years, [Hillsdale] has watched the Hillsdale Avenue railroad grade crossing fall apart in our downtown. It got to the point where the crossing was a hazard for our snowplows last winter, striking the hidden upturned rubber, and is an ongoing hazard for our emergency services personnel to traverse,” wrote Ruocco.
Commuters seeking more information should visit http://bit.ly/pvlineadvisory.