Preliminary Talks Begin About Traffic Improvement Project

Westwood officials discussed a $3 million traffic improvement project that could be completed next year at Tuesday night's council meeting. The project, which has been in the works for several years, is meant to modernize several intersections in the borough.

The county will be picking up most of the price tag, leaving the borough to pay about $200,000 in engineering fees, according to Westwood Mayor John Birkner Jr. "I think that's a pretty good deal," he said.

Birkner said the county is hoping to go out to bid in February for the intersection improvements, break ground in July and have the project completed in November. The intersections include the ones along Broadway, which tend to get backed up especially when the train comes through the borough.

Currently Westwood's engineering firm Boswell Engineering is investigating various ways to change the traffic flow. At Tuesday's meeting, President and CEO Stephen Boswell presented some options to members of the governing body. He said he would bring their input back to the county.

Park Avenue is one area that officials discussed. Some have suggested making the street a two-way road but for that to happen, the borough would have to lose 15 parking spaces, which several council members said can't happen.

Boswell said he would look for a solution to making Park Avenue a two-way road without eliminating parking spaces and report back with his findings.

Several council members expressed concern about changing traffic patterns in the borough, which they believe could encourage more vehicles to drive on residential streets instead of the larger roadways.

Councilman John J. Sciara said he lives at the corner of Second Avenue and Elm Street and sees cars speeding there currently. He said he's worried changes to the larger roadways will push cars to the smaller streets and cause a safety hazard. "I don't agree with you pushing more traffic out to the residents," he said.

Tuesday's discussions were preliminary and more investigation will be done before any decisions are made. Birkner said officials are considering closing off certain roads to simulate what traffic patterns might be like. He said he expects more discussion at the Dec. 21 council meeting.

Birkner said the main goal of the project is to allow people to move more efficiently in and out of the borough. He said people come to Westwood, "the hub of the Pascack Valley," for commuting, shopping, entertainment and dining. "We don't want people to avoid Westwood because of traffic jams," he said.