Traffic A Concern Regarding Valley's New Paramus Hospital

PARAMUS, N.J. — Ensuring the proper flow of traffic at and around Valley Hospital's new Paramus campus is a priority of hospital and state officials.

The hospital announced Friday plans to relocate its main campus to Paramus. Officials said the hospital plans on breaking ground on the 910,000-square-foot, $735-million facility off of Route 17 on Winter Avenue in 2019 with the facility opening as early as 2023.

The hospital can be accessed from both sides of Route 17, the Garden State Parkway and many local roadways, including A&S Drive and Park Place off of Route 17.

RELATED: The Valley Hospital Relocating Main Campus To Paramus

Emergency responders will have to travel through some of the most heavily-traveled roads in the state to get to the hospital, said Assemblyman Kevin Rooney (District 40).

Of concern is where routes 208 and 4 converge at the Fair Lawn-Paramus border, an area that tends to bottleneck often.

The hospital will feature a dedicated drop-off lane, similar to that of an airport concourse, and entrance with valet parking.

"It will be our top priority to mitigate traffic," said Maureen Curran, media relations manager for The Valley Hospital. "We will also work with officials to determine whether there may be additional entry and exit points."

Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera could not be reached for comment.

Rooney said he would work with the state Department of Transportation and local officials to address highway congestion issues.

The hospital will conduct traffic studies to ensure as minimal of an impact on local roadways as possible and will work with local officials to improve traffic flow.

The hospital has been a fixture in Ridgewood and northwestern Bergen County for 50 years. The new 372-bed facility will be between three and seven stories high. It will feature cutting-edge technology and house only single-patient rooms, allowing people to stay at the hospital shorter lengths of time, reducing the amount of sleep disturbances and lowering the rate of infections.

Valley's Ridgewood campus will be repurposed into an urgent-care center, laboratory and radiology and endoscopy center. The hospital will also consolidate its ambulatory and outpatient services and business operations there as well.

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