SOUTH ORNANGE — South Orange Avenue between Cherry Lane/Brookside Drive and Wyoming Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic from Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 a.m. to Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Nov. 11, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to a recent release from the county. The closures are necessary so a pedestrian bridge can be installed over the roadway as part of the ongoing $30 million federally-funded project to flatten the curves in the road, enhance motor vehicle safety and improve storm drainage.
“We acknowledge that closing South Orange Avenue will be an inconvenience for motorists traveling to work or school or going about their daily business. However, it must be done to maximize safety for drivers, pedestrians and construction crews,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “We ask motorists to follow our detour, plan alternate routes and give themselves additional travel time. We appreciate the public’s cooperation and look forward to a new and improved South Orange Avenue.”
During the road closures, motor vehicles traveling eastbound on South Orange Avenue will be detoured to Cherry Lane to Northfield Avenue to Wyoming Avenue, before returning to South Orange Avenue. Motor vehicles traveling westbound on South Orange Avenue will be detoured to Wyoming Avenue to Northfield Avenue to Cherry Lane. Only local traffic traveling westbound on South Orange Avenue will be allowed to bypass the detour.
The road is being closed so construction crews can install a pre-cast footbridge over South Orange Avenue. The new structure will link the Girl Scout camp to a hiking path across the street in Essex County South Mountain Reservation.
Work to modernize the 1.6-mile stretch of South Orange Avenue started in April and is expected to continue for the next two years. The project will address flooding, lessen the severity of the curves in the road, develop a shoulder for the eastbound lanes, improve sight lines, make entering and exiting existing turnoff areas safer, and install roadway lighting. In addition, three bridges will be erected over the roadway. Funding for the project is being provided by a federal transportation grant.