Ridgewood approves changes to Garber Square project
JUNE 12, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014, 5:20 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood Council has approved a modified road improvement plan for Wilsey and Garber squares that reduces the size of a controversial median island, allowing the village to return to two lanes in both directions if traffic congestion becomes an issue.
Despite the council’s changes, the ire of many residents was amplified and expressed on social media on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, after residents found themselves sitting in traffic in Garber Square. On a Ridgewood parent Facebook page, one resident said she waited 11 minutes in traffic to get out of the train station parking lot. The remark sparked a torrent of commiserating replies.
But at Wednesday night’s meeting, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said residents mistakenly blamed that traffic jam on the Garber Square construction. Instead, “it had to do with emergency work” by Verizon, she said, adding that she was told a clay tile conduit had collapsed, completely unrelated to the construction project.
“We haven’t even touched that area of road,” she told The Ridgewood News after the meeting.
The road improvement project, which began May 7, still includes the addition of bike lanes in both directions, the reduction of traffic lanes from two lanes to one lane and a median island, as well as paving work on Ridgewood’s west side from Godwin Avenue to Franklin Avenue beneath the New Jersey Transit train trestle.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/council-approves-modified-construction-1.1034627#sthash.Leig4D8P.dpuf
Do you ever get the feeling that Village officials think the public is stupid?
The road improvement project begins. Subsequently, a clay conduit under the roadway collapses. Massive traffic delays occur as a result of the conduit repair work. But the Village Manager says that those traffic delays should not blamed on the road improvement project.
If the road improvment project had not been undertaken, the conduit would not have collapsed. Therefore, the traffic delays should be blamed on the road improvment project, right?
Like I said, they must think that we’re stupid.
pave it, who ever cam up with this is a real jack ass. the manager should do her job and give them a ass beating . but no it will get swept under that big village matt. right .
They not only think we are stupid, they also think we are insignificant. Why else would they have PUBLIC meetings that the public is not invited to?????