I-280 Entrance Ramp In Essex County Will Reopen Soon After Closing Nearly 3 Years Ago

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An on-ramp leading to I-280 in Essex County that has been closed for nearly three years will reopen next week.

According to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the I-280 westbound on-ramp from Clifton Avenue/8th Avenue in Newark is scheduled to reopen by 2 p.m. on Monday, March 16.

Beginning at 9 a.m., work crews will be removing construction barrier to reopen the ramp. In addition, the road will be restriped into final configuration, and the traffic signals at the intersections of 8^th Avenue and Clifton Avenue and at Clifton Avenue and Orange Street will be retimed.

Traffic on I-280 westbound will not be affected, NJDOT officials said.

The ramp was closed in May 2023. The construction work is part of a $31.7 million federally funded project to replace the I-280 westbound bridge decks on the 10-span viaduct that goes over the NJ Transit tracks at Orange Street and 1st Street in Newark.

Here’s what the work entailed, the NJDOT said:

“The project included substructure repairs, replaced bearings, repaired structural steel, and repainted portions of the bridge. In addition, the existing retaining wall on the ramp from 1st Street to I-280 westbound was replaced to allow for three through lanes on I-280 westbound beyond the bridge. Two new overhead sign structures were installed over I-280.”

Final paving on I-280 westbound is scheduled to take place overnight later this spring to complete the project, the agency said.

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