August 29, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 11 Allendale Mayor works to prevent ‘double detour’ in borough by John Koster Allendale Mayor Vince Barra said at last week’s council meeting that he intends -- and hopes -- to prevent a double detour from strangling the center of Allendale and school access routes. Mayor Barra said he had what he described as a somewhat confrontational discussion with Bergen County officials. Barra said he hopes he obtained concessions that will have the West Crescent Avenue and Myrtle Avenue intersection partly operational before construction begins on the Brookside Avenue bridge -- a job that could take 400 days, although the contractor plans to have it completed by April of 2013. Mayor Barra said that, in a conference with Bergen County officials, he had initially been told that the construction of the new bridge, which will completely close Brookside Avenue, a feeder road to the Allendale schools, was slated to begin Sept. 5. “I was less than pleased,” Barra said. “We intimated to them that the timing was completely unacceptable.” Mayor Barra said he hammered out a concession from Bergen County officials that the bridge construction on Brookside Avenue would not begin before Sept. 10, and optimistically that it might be delayed until Sept. 11, 12, or 13. The mayor added that the contractor on the bridge, Keith Haarman, had spoken with him personally at some length and that the firm, H&R Construction of Midland Park, has a solid reputation and is now working for Bergen County in Overpeck County Park. Plans call for safety-approved walkways to be installed so children can walk to school, but motorists will have to plan a detour from Brookside Avenue for at least the first eight months after construction begins in early to mid September. Mayor Barra then said that progress on the Myrtle Avenue and West Crescent Avenue traffic light and intersection is proceeding well. While the Myrtle-West Crescent project had previously been estimated at 90 days, he had been told informally that the road there might be partially open by the time the Brookside Avenue bridge replacement closes Brookside to vehicular traffic. This would avoid having a double detour in the center of Allendale. “Hopefully this will all be a fading memory in a couple of months,” Councilwoman Elizabeth White said. White added that Brookside Avenue detours should be worked out so that outside motorists who travel through Allendale could avoid the borough completely. The mayor and council ask motorists to plan for the Brookside Avenue detours in advance.