BY TOM CLANCEY
OF PASCACK PRESS
EMERSON, N.J. — Just in time for a new school year, a year-long project to widen and reconfigure Kinderkamack Road and adjoining streets in Emerson’s central business district is complete.
Only aesthetic improvements and minor tweaks remain, as new traffic lights and turning lanes are now operational.
Planners and borough leaders say they are optimistic the effort will provide relief for residents, shoppers and the many drivers that traverse Kinderkamack Road, a major Bergen County thoroughfare that goes from Hackensack to the New York State line. Here’s why:
• Turning lanes: Pascack Valley motorists will recall that a one-lane Kinderkamack Road in Emerson meant that it took only a single car attempting to make a left turn to stop traffic. Now, with the addition of turning lanes throughout the the central business district, traffic can continue moving while motorists navigate turns.
• Traffic lights: The installation of new traffic lights at Ackerman Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard in Emerson will mean motorists no longer have to make dangerous left turns into Kinderkamack Road traffic, (and, subsequently, that cars behind them wont be stuck waiting). Turning signals should also help keep things moving.
The project also focused on improving safety for both motorists and pedestrians. Part of the difficulty in planning the project includes the dynamic nature of Emerson’s central business district: it’s a major road, fed by multiple streets, that is bifurcated by New Jersey Transit’s Pascack Valley Line.
Along with road widening, clearly visible new striping and synchronized traffic lights, the project notably includes train preemption, which will keep cars off of the tracks when the train is passing through. The project also includes new pedestrian crossings, and cut-outs for New Jersey Transit buses to pull off of Kinderkamack Road without blocking traffic.
Aesthetically, the project’s final phase will see at least 21 new trees planted throughout the project area. New sidewalks and pavers have enhanced the visual appeal of the downtown as well.
The project, led by contractor New Prince Concrete Construction Inc. of Hackensack, was a joint initiative between the County of Bergen and the borough. According to Bergen County Communications Director Alicia D’Alessandro, the project’s total cost of $4.4 million has been funded by both the county and the borough, with the county contributing approximately $2.73 million. The total project cost of $4.4 million also includes approximately $920,000 for the railroad crossing improvements performed by New Jersey Transit, D’Alessandro said.
One major change for longtime borough residents: Linwood Avenue (west of Kinderkamack) is now a one-way street heading west. Motorists desiring to travel from Fourth Avenue in Westwood to Kinderkamack Road in Emerson should utilize Ackerman Avenue or Lincoln Boulevard, where the new traffic lights will facilitate their entry onto Kinderkamack Road.
Another notable change: left turns from Emerson Plaza East onto Kinderkamack Road have been prohibited. Motorists departing from a dinner at the Emerson Hotel or another Emerson Plaza East location, should utilize either: Thomas Avenue, to Thomas Street, to Linwood Avenue; or make a right onto Kinderkamack Road, then an immediate left onto Linwood Avenue, before proceeding south onto Emerson Plaza West, then onto Kinderkamack Road.
