Fox announces accelerated
timetable for Route 46 project in Totowa
Credits Pascrell for obtaining
necessary funding to advance Route 46 projects
Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox today joined Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. and other officials to announce the acceleration of work at the Route 46 and Riverview Drive interchange in Totowa, NJ.
“Earlier this year, at the Congressman’s urging, DOT was able to accelerate the construction schedule by six months for this project,” Commissioner Fox said. “As Route 46 users well know, traffic on and off of this bridge remains backed up for hours. Relief was needed, and thanks to the Congressman’s efforts, by the end of the year, motorists will no longer endure this traffic nightmare.”
“This project is about modernizing an interchange that was simply too congested and too dangerous,” Pascrell said. “The federal dollars we are investing here will make an enormous difference to those who live, work, and shop in this area. This interchange was built for an era long since past, and I applaud the Commissioner for hearing our call and ensuring that we expedite completion of this project.”
The Riverview Drive bridge over Route 46 is being widened and reconstructed to better facilitate traffic flow and ease congestion. The $18 million construction project contract was awarded to Railroad Construction Company of Paterson, NJ in July, 2001. All roadway work, except final paving, is to be completed by December, 2002. Final paving will be completed in March 2003. This represents an approximate six month acceleration of work.
With the re-authorization of TEA-21 in 1998, Congressman Pascrell, as a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, had Route 46 designated a High Priority Project, thereby garnering $24 million in federal funding for projects in the corridor. The Congressman included a specific earmark for the Riverview Drive project, the Spaghetti Bowl flyover ramp connecting I-80 west to Route 23 north in Wayne, as well as two upcoming Route 46 projects at Van Houten Avenue and Union Boulevard.
“Motorists who use Route 46 on a daily basis will start to see the benefits of smoother traffic flow, improved safety, and less congestion,” Commissioner Fox said. “We are fortunate to have Bill Pascrell in Washington working on our behalf. It’s exactly the kind of leadership that we need to help repair and rehabilitate New Jersey’s aging transportation system.”
Approximately 118,0000 vehicles use Route 46 in Totowa and Wayne every day. After I-80, Route 46 is the major east-west corridor in North Jersey.
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