NJDOT announces Lafayette Avenue closures under Route 208 bridge in Hawthorne
Construction schedule changes reduces project
from eight stages to three
(Trenton) - NJDOT officials today announced that a long term closure of Lafayette Avenue (CR 665) underneath the Route 208 bridge will begin this week in Hawthorne Borough, Passaic County.
On Wednesday, January 11, the portion of Lafayette Avenue that passes under the bridge will be closed to all users in both directions for approximately two months. Upon completion of the first stage of construction, the Passaic County roadway will be opened for one month.
Two subsequent stages of construction will also require full closures of Lafayette Avenue for approximately two months each. The road will be reopened for a month-long interval between those closures.
Detours during periods of closure;
• Lafayette Avenue southbound traffic will use Braen Avenue to Goffle Road to Lafayette Avenue.
• Lafayette Avenue northbound traffic will use Goffle Road to Braen Avenue to Lafayette Avenue.
The detour routes were coordinated with Passaic County, Bergen County, Hawthorne Borough and Wyckoff Township officials.
NJDOT and the construction contractor, Ritacco Construction Inc., have amended the original construction plan to reduce the impact to motorists and residents.
Preliminary construction operations on the bridge began in December. At that time, Route 208 was reduced from three lanes to two lanes in both directions over the bridge for the first stage of construction. Route 208 normally carries two travel lanes in each direction over the bridge, along with a deceleration lane for southbound vehicles and an acceleration lane for northbound vehicles.
During the first phase of construction the Goffle Road southbound ramp to Route 208 northbound has been closed. Motorists are being routed through the interchange to access Route 208 northbound via ramps that take them to Route 208 southbound, then to Goffle Road northbound and finally to Route 208 northbound.
The $3.1 million project will install a new concrete bridge structure over Lafayette Avenue and construct new bridge parapets and sidewalks. The approach slabs on Route 208 in both directions will be replaced and NJDOT will mill and repave the highway on either side of the bridge. Route 208 will remain open to traffic in both directions at all times during construction. The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2012.
NJDOT provides emergency roadway information, construction schedule updates and real time traffic information and images at www.511nj.org
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