Twelve intersections along Bloomfield Avenue have been updated with new equipment as part of Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.’s initiative to modernize the community, Essex County says.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Monday, Oct. 3, at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Valley Road. DiVincenzo was joined by county and township officials, including Mayor Sean Spiller, Commissioner Patricia Sebold and Commissioner Brendan Gill.
Ten of the twelve intersections were updated with new poles and overhead LED lights, the county said. Pedestrian crosswalk signals, new roadway striping and signs are also included in the new upgrades. In case of blackouts or power outages, the new signals have back-up power. At the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Midland Avenue new traffic signals were installed and pedestrian crosswalk signals are now available at the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Seymour Street.
To pay for the project, a grant from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority was provided and the Essex County Department of Public Works oversaw the project to avoid unnecessary delays. KS Engineers P.C., an engineering consulting firm from Newark was paid more than $1 million to design the upgrades and provide inspection services during the construction process. Trench Technologies, a construction company from Millburn, did the construction for over $6 million.
Though the project started in August of last year, the idea to upgrade the infrastructure has been under consideration for much longer, Mayor Spiller said. “Today for me, it was especially gratifying because many, many years ago we met with the county and our county executive Joe D, probably over 10 years ago now, to talk about how we could improve each of these intersections along the avenue,” Spiller said.
The 12 updated intersections are:
- Bloomfield Avenue and North/South Mountain Avenues.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Road/Bell Street.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Valley Road.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Midland Avenue.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Park Street.
- Bloomfield Avenue and North/South Fullerton Avenue/Church Street/Glenridge Avenue.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Seymour Street.
- Bloomfield Avenue and North/South Willow Street.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Gates Avenue/Lackawanna Plaza.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Elm Street/Grove Street.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Hartley Street.
- Bloomfield Avenue and Maple Avenue/Pine Street.