Traffic Relief in the Works for Centennial Field

Long lines of cars attempting to simultaneously exit after a sports game could soon be a thing of the past as the Township gets closer to completing a new access road out of the cramped parking lot at Verona’s Centennial Field. Heavy equipment has been shaping the road for the past week, and the drainage system is currently being installed.

According to Jim Helb, Township Engineer, “The much-needed access road should be completed by mid-November. It will run from the back parking lot, out westward to White Rock Road, where the traffic can go left and down to the light at Bloomfield Avenue.”

Verona resident Ellen Smith, mother of high school age daughters Lauren and Heather, both active in soccer and lacrosse, has spent a lot of time at the fields. Smith said the project would be a welcome change.

“When the activities from the fields ended around the same time, this place is a free-for-all. Another way out will definitely help," she said.

Helb, who said he did not have the bid accessible, reported, “The cost for the project is estimated to run between $220,000-$250,000. The project will be funded through a State Green Acres Grant because it is for recreational purposes.”

More recreational sites are planned for the area around the Highlands at Hilltop, the residential project along White Rock Road.

Centennial Field, located behind the Verona Civic Center on Bloomfield Avenue, was given an Astroturf makeover in 2007. The field is frequently used for sports including football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.