Reader Gives a brief history of this money-pit debacle.
A brief history of this money-pit debacle.
1. The new Village manager, with the backing of her lefty base, thought it would be the right thing to do, to instal traffic-calming measures on a stretch of road that was badly in need to repair. No public discussion was invited.
2. A contractor was awarded the project and there does not appear to have been language in the contract regarding completion time.
3. Work starts and the public quickly learn of this major change to the Village’s one and only traffic link between the two sides of town. Outrage is the result and work is stopped.
4. Work eventually resumes, whereby much of the original work has to be put back the way it was and the project basically starts again.
5. The Village Manager issues a public statement regarding her displeasure at the length of time the project is taking, and talks of finding a new contractor.
Is it any wonder people don’t want the Government managing their health?
Tag: Road Work
Ridgewood insists contractor pick up pace on street project
Ridgewood insists contractor pick up pace on street project
SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Work has been slow on a controversial street improvement project that has frustrated village officials exploring their options.
Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said construction recently resumed on the Garber Square project, following a three-month gap. But things are proceeding “very, very slowly,” she said, before suggesting Ridgewood officials consider hiring another contractor to finish the job.
“We were hoping to be a lot farther” along with the project, Sonenfeld said, adding the contractor “is aware we are not happy.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-insists-contractor-pick-up-pace-on-street-project-1.1084487#sthash.pD8eGyJJ.dpuf
Traffic Impact Study to Continue for Garber Square
Traffic Impact Study to Continue for Garber Square
Ridgewood NJ, Chief John M. Ward updates residents on the process .As many of you are aware we undertook a traffic impact study from late May through the end of July. This study utilized specialized camera suits loaned to the police department at no cost by a community-policing partner Secure Watch 24. Additionally to avoid costs to our residents college interns working with the department as well as myself conducted the study. Staff from Secure Watch 24 also monitored the cameras during the period of June and July.
During the months of June and July no evidence of significant delays related to the new traffic patterns were observed. We realize that the study was conducted during the summer, and that traffic flow is generally lighter. However the study was dependent upon the availability of the camera units and interns. Unfortunately the company did need the loaned equipment to assist with event security elsewhere during the month of August.
Secure Watch 24 has again provided two camera suits (at no cost) for our continued traffic impact study. The study is scheduled to resume within the next week. We hope to gather more data now that school is back in session.
I would like to thank Secure Watch 24 for their continued assistance as well as our interns for their hard work.
Chief John M. Ward
Re: Garber Square Complete Streets Projects
file photo Boyd Loving
Re: Garber Square Complete Streets Projects
Dear Residents and Businesses,
On Monday, August 25th, work restarted at Garber Square. The center divider has been prepared for the installation of curbs and the center island surface for Belgian block finish.
Following the holiday weekend, the contractor will resume work on Tuesday, September 2nd and work daily from 7:30am to 5:00pm. Eastbound traffic will be closed for this work phase of the project. Alternate routes using Ackerman or W. Glen Avenues are encouraged to avoid traffic delays.
Thank you for your patience. Additional updates will be forthcoming.
Best,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manage
Garber Square construction project
photos by Boyd Loving
Garber Square construction project
TRAFFIC ALERT – Garber Square Complete Streets Project
The Garber Square paving project resumed Monday, August 25th. The work is taking place 7:30am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. During construction, vehicles will be able to use alternating lanes (one lane will be closed), supervised by Police Officers. It is recommended that the public use alternate routes during construction to avoid potential traffic congestion. Thank you for your patience.
Photos by Boyd Loving
TRAFFIC ALERT – Garber Square Project Resumes Today Monday August 25th
TRAFFIC ALERT – Garber Square Project Resumes Today Monday August 25th
The Garber Square paving project is scheduled to resume on Monday, August 25th. The work will take place 7:30am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. During construction, vehicles will be able to use alternating lanes (one lane will be closed), supervised by Police Officers. It is recommended that the public use alternate routes during construction to avoid potential traffic congestion. Thank you for your patience.
PSE&G thanks you for your patience as we work to make Ridgewood Energy Strong.
PSE&G thanks you for your patience as we work to make Ridgewood Energy Strong.
PSE&G thanks you for your patience as we work to make Ridgewood Energy Strong. This requires closing streets while we install modern gas pipes that better withstand flooding and protect the environment. Please share this news with your friends and family who may be affected. For more about street closures: https://www.pseg.com/family/pseandg/energy_strong/gas_main/ridgewood.jsp
PSE&G to upgrade gas facilities in Ridgewood
With approval of its Energy Strong program, Public Service Electric & Gas Co. (PSE&G) is upgrading gas facilities in Ridgewood on the following streets:
Phase 1
Allan Place, Entire Length
Burnside Place, Entire Length
Canterbury Place between Burnside Place and George Street
Cherry Lane between Canterbury Place and Burnside Place
Downs Street between Northern Parkway and Fairfield Avenue
Eldon Court, Entire Length
George Street between East Glen Avenue and Burnside Place
Libby Avenue between Downs Street and Graydon Terrace
Meadowbrook Avenue between Fairfield Avenue and Hohokus Brook
Northern Parkway between East Franklin Turnpike and Meadowbrook Avenue
Olivia Street, Entire Length
Pearsall Avenue between Downs Street and Graydon Terrace
Preston Place, Entire Length
Rose Court, Entire Length
Stuart Street, Entire Length
Thompson Place, Entire Length
Van Buren Street between Northern Parkway and East Glen Ave
Vesta Court, Entire Length
https://www.pseg.com/family/pseandg/energy_strong/gas_main/ridgewood.jsp
ROAD WORK, UTILITY EMERGENCY, ROAD CLOSURE OR CONSTRUCTION
ROAD WORK, UTILITY EMERGENCY, ROAD CLOSURE OR CONSTRUCTION
Below, please find the road details and permits, which could cause traffic delays, for today, August 6, 2014:
NJ Transit – West Glen Avenue Trestle Painting Project. NJ Transit anticipates the work will require alternating lanes of traffic (one lane closed to do the work). Each lane closure should take no more that 1 ½ weeks, for a total of 3 weeks of lane restrictions. Work will begin at 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday – Friday, though some Saturday work may be required to keep to the schedule.
Police officers will be used for traffic control.
PSE&G Energy Strong gas main work– Vesta Court/Meadowbrook (Crew 1) Starting at 7:30 am. (Ferriera Construction) This will be ongoing for many weeks.
PSE&G Energy Strong gas main work – and Rose Court (Crew 2) –
Cablevision starting at and meeting at the train station 8 am, corner of Franklin and North Broad.
PSE&G (Electric) East Ridgewood Ave/Duck Pond. Starting at 8 am
PSE&G (Gas) – 274 East Glen Avenue – 8 am – 3 pm. Two (2) police officers assigned.
Meter Closing:
Cottage Place – Meter Numbers: 198 and 199 (This is scheduled to go through August 15th).
Rep Scott Garrett’s gas tax bill is stuck in neutral
Rep Scott Garrett’s gas tax bill is stuck in neutral
AUGUST 3, 2014, 10:33 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014, 10:56 PM
BY HERB JACKSON
RECORD COLUMNIST
THE RECORD
A last-minute bill that passed Congress last week closed a looming shortfall in the federal highway trust fund, ensuring that money from Washington continues flowing to states for road, bridge and transit projects through next May, instead of drying up later this month.
The stopgap bill, needed because gas taxes no longer raise enough money to support highway and transit spending, relies on several gimmicks, including increasing a customs fee in 2024 and spending all that “revenue” over the next 10 months.
But the long-term transportation financing would have been different if Rep. Scott Garrett, one of just two Republicans who opposed the bill on Thursday, had his way.
Instead of states sending money to Washington and waiting to see what comes back, Garrett, R-Wantage, would give states the option to keep the 18.4-cent federal gas tax paid within their borders and decide how to spend it without federal oversight.
“We would not have to literally beg Washington to get our own money back,” Garrett said in a brief interview last week. “We would not have to be limited or restricted on the purposes. If we felt the money should be used over here and Washington says ‘over there,’ we could spend it where we felt the people of New Jersey need it the most.”
What is not clear is whether New Jersey would want to take that option if it were available. Governor Christie’s office did not respond when asked it wanted to opt out of federal financing.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/jackson-garrett-s-gas-tax-bill-is-stuck-in-neutral-1.1061612#sthash.nQ8Gzd5Q.dpuf
Ridgewood Police: West Glen Avenue Train Trestle Painting Project
Ridgewood Police: West Glen Avenue Train Trestle Painting Project
New Jersey Transit will begin painting the West Glen Avenue Train Trestle starting the project on or about Friday, August 1st.
Transit anticipates that the work will require alternating lanes of traffic (one lane closed to do the work). Each lane closure should take no more than 1.5 weeks, for a total of 3 weeks of lane restriction. Hours of work are scheduled to be 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Some Saturday work may be required to keep to the schedule.
Traffic will be controlled by Ridgewood Police Officers when the road is restricted to one lane of travel.
West Glen Avenue Train Trestle Painting Project – August 1
West Glen Avenue Train Trestle Painting Project – August 1
New Jersey Transit has notified the Village that their contractor for the painting of the West Glen Avenue Train Trestle is scheduled to start the project on or about Friday, August 1st.
Transit anticipates that the work will require alternating lanes of traffic (one lane closed to do the work). Each lane closure should take no more than 1.5 weeks, for a total of 3 weeks of lane restriction. Hours of work are scheduled to be 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Some Saturday work may be required to keep to the schedule.
The contractor will be using Ridgewood Police Officers for traffic control.
Ridgewood Police : The railroad crossing at lake Street and Goffle Road is projected to open Thursday morning July 31st.
Infrastructure Investment: A State, Local, and Private Responsibility
Infrastructure Investment: A State, Local, and Private Responsibility
Despite huge and ongoing budget deficits, some policymakers are proposing to increase federal spending on infrastructure.
President Obama on Thursday unveiled a new federal infrastructure initiative, and has been campaigning for Congress to pass a long-term highway bill. The president and other leaders believe that more federal spending on roads, rail, and other assets will boost growth and create jobs.
However, according to Cato scholars, devolving infrastructure activities to the states and the private sector is actually a more sound plan.
“Private firms can build and run roads, bridges, and transit better than the government,” writes Chris Edwards.
Randal O’Toole takes it one step further, firmly stating that the United States is absolutely not facing an infrastructure crisis, at least with regard to transportation.
“That’s just a story told by people who want to raise your taxes so they can get rich,” explains O’Toole.
https://catoinstitute.tumblr.com/post/92291685220/infrastructure-investment-a-state-local-and-private?utm_content=buffer83ba4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
The Big Clean Up
Five Reasons Not to Raise the Gas Tax
Five Reasons Not to Raise the Gas Tax
By Randal O’Toole
This article appeared in Huffington Post on July 3, 2014.
The federal Highway Trust Fund is running out of money, and some senators have proposed to fix the problem by raising gas taxes. This, however, is the wrong solution because it treats the symptom, and not the underlying reason for the shortfall. Here are five reasons for not increasing gas taxes.
1. The problem is not a shortage of funds but an excess of spending.
For more than 50 years after Congress created the Highway Trust Fund in 1956 it was able to avoid a shortage of funds by a simple measure: it didn’t spend more than was collected in gas taxes. That changed in 2008, when tax revenues declined due to the financial crisis but Congress continued to spend as if the revenues were growing.
Since 2008, Congress has had to replenish the trust fund with $55 billion in general funds. This isn’t, however, a subsidy to highways; in the last decade, Congress has diverted well over $55 billion of gas taxes to non-highway projects.
Increasing the gas tax would simply allow Congress to increase spending on often-frivolous projects that do nothing for highway travelers, with no guarantee that it would keep spending below revenues. Thus, in two or three years we would be likely to see the fund once again run out of money.
2. Our highway infrastructure isn’t crumbling.
Contrary to popular reports, our highways and bridges are in great shape. Despite the fact that Congress has diverted well over a fifth of gas taxes to non-highway projects, the number of bridges considered “structurally deficient” has declined by more than 50 percent since 1990 and the average smoothness of our roads has increased every year.
Recent bridge collapses in Minnesota and Washington weren’t due to inadequate maintenance. One fell due to a construction error that maintenance could not have detected or fixed; the other fell because an oversized truck illegally tried to cross the bridge. Increasing federal gas taxes could not have prevented these or other recent highway problems.
3. Increasing federal gas taxes won’t reduce local road subsidies.
Although state highways pretty much pay for themselves out of user fees such as gas taxes and tolls, city and county roads require billions in subsidies from other taxes. Increasing federal highway taxes won’t end those subsidies. Instead, we need a new way to pay for roads to insure that highway users get what they pay for and pay for what they get.
4. Higher gas taxes don’t address increasing fuel economy.
Cars are getting more fuel-efficient each year and growing numbers of electric cars don’t use gasoline at all. Some people think that owners of more fuel-efficient cars should pay lower tax rates, but they already save by buying less fuel and many received tax breaks when they bought their cars.
The purpose of user fees is to help consumers understand the true cost of what they use and help producers know where to invest in more facilities. Highway user fees should be proportional to how much people use highways, not how much fuel they use. Gas taxes were an adequate user fee when most cars got about the same miles per gallon, but they make less sense today.
5. Raising gas taxes won’t solve our number one highway problem: congestion.
Gas taxes were originally implemented by the states nearly a hundred years ago because they were cheap to collect and congestion wasn’t a serious problem. Today, Americans waste more than $100 billion a year sitting in traffic, and the main reason for congestion is that roads are improperly priced.
Gas taxes are an inefficient user fee because they don’t tell drivers that it costs more to drive on some roads than others or during some parts of the day than others. Oregon and other states are developing electronic fee collection systems that insure that people pay for what they use while protecting privacy.
These systems can eliminate congestion by actually increasing the rush-hour capacity of our roads. Rather than raise gas taxes, Congress should take steps towards implementing a new user fee system that preserves privacy, ends congestion, and eliminates highway subsidies.