Routes 4 & 17 Reconstruction Interchange

Paramus, Bergen County

Overview The construction on this project has been completed Built in 1932 as a state-of-the-art cloverleaf, the Routes 4 and 17 interchange in Paramus, Bergen County, is a main transportation connector for one of the most densely populated regions in the state. It offers access to Routes 208 and 46, I-287 and I-80, the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike and the George Washington Bridge gateways to New York City, New England and the rest of New Jersey. The interchange also supports bus routes that serve nearly 20,000 regular passengers. Designed to carry 9,000 vehicles during rush hour, the interchange now carries more than 17,000 rush hour vehicles, making it one of the most congested in the state. Beginning in January 1999, this interchange will be totally reconfigured. The project will cost $120 million, funded solely by the Federal Highway Administration, and will include these features: Flyovers The two new flyover ramps will provide a total of three levels for traffic. The first will connect Route 17 south to Route 4 east (1) and the second will connect Route 17 north to Route 4 west (2). The existing loop ramp that connects Route 17 north to Route 4 west will be reconstructed to access the westbound Route 4 lanes. Auxiliary Interchange In addition, an auxiliary interchange will be located west (towards Fair Lawn) of the main interchange to draw traffic for local destinations from the main interchange. Service Road A service roadway along Route 4 west will be constructed similar to one that already exists in the eastbound direction to serve local traffic through the interchange area. To do this, the bridge over Sprout Brook will be widened. Other Improvements This project also calls for widening Route 17 to upgrade the acceleration/ deceleration ramps. Several access roads will be constructed to businesses and residences in the interchange area, Farview Terrace and Winslow Place will become dead ends from Route 17 and Prospect Street will be connected to Farview Terrace to replace this access. The New Jersey Department of Transportation, with funding from the Federal Highway Administration, has worked to minimize the disruptions to the lives and livelihoods of those who live, work and travel in this area during the reconstruction of the Routes 4 and 17 interchange. We have accelerated the schedule from three and a half to two and a half years and offered millions of dollars in incentives to the contractor to do even more. In addition, working with NJ TRANSIT, the local communities and businesses, we will enhance our traffic safety operations, bus services and communications in the impacted area. In the construction area, the Routes 4 and 17 interchange will remain operational throughout construction; all access to adjacent properties will be maintained; rapid incident management response will be in effect and towing will be available Monday through Friday from 5am to 9am and 3 pm to 7 pm and on Saturday from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm; and, no travel lanes will be closed from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day and weekdays during morning and evening rush hours.