June 4, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Midland Park Crossing upgrades planned; intersections to be closed A joint project between the NJ Depart- ment of Transportation (DOT) and the New York Susquehanna & Western Railway Corp. in Midland Park this summer has the potential of wreak- ing havoc with traffic in the borough and the surrounding communities for almost a month. The railroad crossings at Goffle Road / Wyckoff Avenue / Lake Street, Sicomac Avenue, and Newtown Road are sched- uled to be upgraded in the month of July. During the construction period, expected to be from four to eight days at each cross- ing, each road will be closed for 24 hours until the work is completed. All of these locations will have posted detours. “It will be nightmare of a logjam,” said Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan. “Every- one who can, should take a vacation during that period.” The mayor said police and town rep- resentatives from Midland Park, Wyckoff and Ridgewood had recently met with the contractor on the project to get briefed on the plans. “Everybody recognizes the severity of the problem and the importance of assur- ing the safety of our residents during the construction, so all the emergency services will be cooperating,” O’Hagan said. “It’s important that the contractor stay on schedule; any deviation will be a hor- rendous mess,” said Councilman Mark Braunius. Plans call for the installation of con- tinuous rails to provide a smoother ride. The intersections will be regraded, and specialized rail track will be built into a concrete bed to provide a more even crossing. At Goffle Road, however, the angle caused by the bend in the road will still prevent a totally level surface, the mayor said. The tentative schedule calls for the project to begin on July 7 at the Newtown Road crossing, with work there expected to last four days. On July 14, crews will move to the Sicomac Avenue intersection, which will be closed for four to five days. Work on the Goffle Road crossing will begin on July 21 and last from five to eight days. Right turns will be allowed during construction traveling from Wyckoff Avenue to Goffle Road, and left turns will be allowed traveling from Goffle Road to Wyckoff Avenue. All other turning movements at Wyckoff Avenue and Goffle Road will be prohibited by the road closure. The Goffle Road construction will impact NJ Transit commuter bus opera- tions. The DOT has communicated with NJ Transit. It is anticipated that the same stops will be made along Goffle Road, but times may be affected. Residents whose commute includes accessing public transportation located within the work zones should contact their bus com- pany to determine the alternate pick-up location during the road closing/detour. All schedules are tentative and subject to weather conditions. Access to the A&P supermarket, Kuiken Bros. Lumber and other businesses adjacent to the intersec- tions, as well as pedestrian traffic, will be kept open when feasible. Detours will be posted well in advance and designed to keep commercial traf- fic away from residential areas as much as possible. Affected motorists should simply follow the detour route and antici- pate significant delays; plan an alternate route, plan on extra travel time and drive with caution, police advise. Police Chief Michael Marra said he anticipates no problems. He said residents would be notified well in advance through e-notices and social media once the sched- ule is finalized, probably in mid-June. He said officers would be posted at Sicomac and Newtown at least for the first day of construction until the need is assessed. Officers will be stationed every day at the Goffle Road crossing, he said. Adding to motorists’ woes is the inter- section improvement project at Goffle and Rock roads, where a traffic signal is being installed. Though Goffle Road is open in both directions, the going is extremely slow during heavy traffic. Goffle Road there will only be closed when the inter- section is milled and resurfaced, which will be at the end of the project, expected to be in late August.