NJDOT to begin next stage of Route 120 Paterson Plank Road improvements in Carlstadt and Rutherford

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has announced traffic pattern changes on Route 120 Paterson Plank Road in Carlstadt and East Rutherford, Bergen County as reconstruction begins on the northern portion of the highway.

On Friday, July 16, NJDOT will conduct temporary overnight single-lane closures in both directions to shift Route 120/Paterson Plank Road traffic to the southern portion of the highway in order to establish a new work zone on the north side of Route 120. The new work zone is anticipated to be in place Saturday morning, July 17, and will be defined with concrete construction barrier and drums.

Once the new work zone is established, Route 120 will maintain two traffic lanes in each direction during peak periods of rush hour traffic.

Single-lane closures will be allowed on Route 120 Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., on Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. and Sundays from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Mondays. Lane and ramp closures will not be permitted from three hours before to three hours after an event at any of the Meadowlands sports complexes.

The $29.7 million project will improve traffic flow by reconstructing and widening Route 120 Paterson Plank Road through the addition of an auxiliary right lane in each direction between the Route 17 and Murray Hill Parkway intersections. The Paterson Plank Road bridge over Route 17 will be widened on the eastbound side and the Route 120 bridge over NJ TRANSIT’s Pascack Valley Line will be widened on both sides. New traffic signals will be installed at the intersection with Murray Hill Parkway and the Route 17 northbound on-and-off ramps. A new drainage system will also be installed on Route 120. The project is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2010.

NJDOT will employ Variable Message Signs on Route 120 to inform motorists of any change in the traffic pattern. Real time travel and construction information is available online at www.511nj.org