Bloomfield Ave. Light Rail Station to Undergo Construction

Newark Light Rail's Bloomfield Avenue station will undergo a facelift this spring, officials announced Wednesday.

The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors authorized a $5.2 million contract for accessibility improvements to the station, located near Branch Brook Park in Newark. Upgrades include raising and extending the two existing station platforms to assist customers who use mobility devices, installing elevators and a pedestrian grade crossing, installing street-level canopies and upgrading lighting and customer communication systems.

DMR Construction, of Waldwick, will be performing construction, which will begin this spring. It's slated for completion by the end of next year.

"Improvements to enhance level boarding for customers will ensure accessibility for our customers with disabilities," said  NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein, "while other improvements will enhance the overall customer experience—one of the key tenets of our Scorecard initiative—for everyone who uses the station."

Work will be completed in phases to allow portions of the station to remain open during construction. Customers can learn about construction via social media, posters, website advisories and My Transit alerts.

The Bloomfield Avenue station serves roughly 2,700 average weekday customer trips and is a major connection to bus lines to Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, Verona, Cedar Grove, Little Falls, Clifton and Paterson.

– Staff reports