In North Caldwell: Traffic Signals Installed Near West Essex Regional Schools

NORTH CALDWELL, NJ — It’s rare that officials get happy about stopped traffic. But an exception was made on Monday when Essex County and North Caldwell officials got together to commemorate a new traffic signal installation near the West Essex Regional High/Middle School campuses.

The new signals, located at the intersection of West Greenbrook Road and Jay L. Hand Drive, were installed as a cooperative project between Essex County and the township of North Caldwell.

“We have students and parents driving into this facility and we have buses pulling in and out of here,” Schools Superintendent Barbara Longo said. “There are times when this intersection is very busy and having a traffic signal will help us out tremendously. We thank the county and the township for working together to get this done.”

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According to county officials:

“Improvements to the intersection include the installation of poles, traffic signals equipped with LED lights, pedestrian signals with countdown timers, push buttons for activation, high visibility roadway striping and signage. The LED lights shine brighter so they are easier to see and are more efficient that regular bulbs. GPS clocks also were installed to ensure traffic signal coordination is maintained. Sidewalks and curbing were repaired where needed.”

County officials said that Klein Traffic Consulting from West Orange designed the intersection project. J.C. Contracting from Rahway was awarded a publicly bid contract for $298,800 to perform the construction work.

According to Longo, the West Essex Board of Education has a cost-sharing agreement with North Caldwell to pay for half of the township's share, which means North Caldwell and West Essex are each paying 1/6 of the total cost.

The county is paying for the other 2/3, Longo said.

“We are always ready to improve our roadways to enhance safety, especially in areas around our public schools,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “When the request came from North Caldwell, we were happy to collaborate to get this done to enhance safety of the students attending West Essex Regional.”

“We are very happy about this because it will make is safer for the students coming to this campus,” said North Caldwell Mayor Joseph Alessi, who was accompanied by Councilmembers Frank Astorino, John Chiaia and Joshua Raymond at the Oct. 23 installation ceremony.

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Editor's Note: This article has been updated with a quote from Schools Superintendent Barbara Longo