When will Notch Road Bridge open? Mayors frustrated with delays

The mayors of Woodland Park and Little Falls shared the frustration they heard from residents during the long closure of Notch Road Bridge at the border between the two towns.

The bridge connecting Notch Road to Lackawanna Avenue near entrances and exits to Route 46 closed for repairs in early September. Originally given a four-month construction schedule, the bridge remains closed nearly seven months later.

Dan Triana, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, said Friday that the bridge should open within the next week or two. However, Woodland Park Mayor Keith Kazmark said he was disappointed by the lack of progress.

"It’s caused a significant amount of traffic on two main roads in Woodland Park, so much so that we’ve had to reconfigure traffic lights on McBride to handle the volume and be proactive to make the closure as convenient as possible to folks traveling through town," Kazmark said. "The sooner the bridge is open to two-way traffic, the better off everyone will be."

The department tries to minimize inconvenience best it can, Triana said.

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"The Department understands the community’s frustration with the expected reopening of the bridge," Triana said in an email. "We are looking forward to the reopening of the bridge as well. Unfortunately, we cannot control the weather. The Department will provide a rescheduled date once we have more information."

At one point the bridge was scheduled to open March 9, but a storm postponed it once more. Triana said one plan before construction would have kept one lane open on the bridge for a longer period of time, but the department came to an agreement with the towns to shut it entirely to reconstruct it all at once for an abbreviated period.

Story continues after detour list

Detours

Notch Road/CR 633 north to Rifle Camp Road/Route 46 westbound detour:

Motorists on Notch Road north will be directed to Route 46 east

Keep right at the fork to take Route 3 east

Take the Valley Road/CR 621 north exit and turn left to get on Route 46 west

Stay to the right and take the Great Notch/Cedar Grove exit

Notch Road/CR 633 south detour:

Motorists on Notch Road south will be directed to turn onto Lackawanna Avenue/CR 632 north

From Lackawanna Avenue, traffic will turn left onto Lower Notch Road to Route 46 east

Take the first exit for Notch Road/CR 633 south

Route 46 west to Notch Road south detour:

Route 46 west traffic wishing to take Notch Road south will take the Great Notch/Cedar Grove exit

Turn onto Lackawanna Avenue/CR 632 north

From Lackawanna Avenue, traffic will turn left onto Lower Notch Road, cross under Route 46, and turn right onto the entrance ramp to Route 46 east

Take the first exit for Notch Road/CR 633 south

Truck Detour – Route 46 west to Notch Road South:

Trucks on Route 46 west wishing to take Notch Road south will continue Route 46

Take the next exit for Lower Notch Road

Turn right, cross under Route 46, and turn right onto the entrance ramp to Route 46 east

Take the first exit for Notch Road/CR 633 south

Little Falls Mayor James Belford Damiano said there's been a lot of frustration regarding the bridge.

"The eastern side of Little Falls has certainly experienced increased traffic on extremely residential roads that are not designed to support the traffic thrusted upon them," Damiano said. "We certainly look forward to the reopening of the bridge, and hopefully it will alleviate the residential traffic we’ve had."

In early March, Triana said construction on the bridge was nearing completion. Two lanes, one in each direction, were scheduled to open initially while the rest of the construction was finished, he said. Eventually it would have two southbound lanes and one northbound.

"The extremely harsh winter, the snow and heavy rain through January and February, as well as extreme temperature fluctuations have made work difficult," Triana said. "One challenge was the sub-freezing temperatures that caused the rescheduling of the pouring of concrete for the bridge deck."

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The change in plans still was disheartening to Damiano.

"My credibility with the residents of Little Falls has been diminished because of the misrepresentations constantly provided by the DOT," the mayor said.

The construction is part of a $40.8 million federally funded project to improve Route 3 and Route 46.

Mike Gambatese lives near the bridge and said the closure has caused a lot of inconvenience. Gambatese works in Fort Lee but has to take a different exit off Route 46 to get home due to the construction.

"They could have rebuilt the George Washington Bridge in the time it’s taken to do this project," he said.