Traffic Alert: South Orange Avenue Closing In Essex County

South Orange Avenue between Cherry Lane/Brookside Drive and Wyoming Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic from Tuesday, July 21 to Thursday, July 23.

The road will also close from Tuesday, July 28 to Thursday, July 30.

According to Essex County officials, the closures are necessary so a new arch bridge can be installed over the roadway. The construction is part of an ongoing, $30 million, federally-funded project to flatten the curves in the road, enhance motor vehicle safety and improve storm drainage.

During the road closures, motor vehicles traveling eastbound on South Orange Avenue will be detoured north on Cherry Lane to east on Northfield Avenue to south on Wyoming Avenue before returning to South Orange Avenue. Motor vehicles traveling westbound on South Orange Avenue will be detoured to Wyoming Avenue to Northfield Avenue to Cherry Lane.

Only local traffic traveling westbound on South Orange Avenue will be allowed to bypass the detour.

“Closing South Orange Avenue will be an inconvenience for motorists traveling to work or school or going about their daily business,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “However, it must be done to maximize safety for drivers, pedestrians and construction crews.”

According to a release, work to modernize the 1.6-mile stretch of South Orange Avenue started in April 2014 and is expected to continue through the spring of 2016. The project will address flooding, lessen the severity of the curves in the road, develop a shoulder for the eastbound lanes, improve sight lines and make entering and exiting existing turnoff areas safer, install roadway lighting and plant 3,600 new trees.

In addition, two bridges will be erected over the roadway, two intersections along South Orange Avenue (Glenview Road and Cherry Lane/Brookside Drive) will be upgraded and three culverts will be reconstructed.

Funding for the project is being provided by a federal transportation grant.