BY ANN GENADER
WEST MILFORD ‑‑ A discussion about Union Valley Road sidewalks and widening of Passaic County roads to provide better safety for pedestrians and bicyclists took place between county and local representatives recently.
Township Administrator Antoinette Battaglia reported to the Township of West Milford Council that she and West Milford Supervising Engineering Aide Eric Miller met with Freeholder Terry Duffy, Passaic County Open Space Coordinator Kathleen Caren and Assistant Director Michael Lysicatos of the Passaic County Planning and Economic Development Department to discuss these topics.
Battaglia said the Freeholders will meet with the county administrator and county engineer to ask that they consider West Milford projects and concerns.
The administrator said she asked Lysitacos to provide follow up along with the response to the requests by the West Milford officials from his supervisors.
Answering a county request for input, as preparation for the 2018 Road Resurfacing Program proceeds, the local Engineering Division performed field inspections of existing pavement conditions of county roads in the township.
Miller’s written response to the county said the increased investment in the Passaic County roadway network on recent years has resolved many long-standing drainage and ice problems.
He said bicycle lanes are a topic of interest to township leadership. The engineering aide noted that since adoption of the 2012 Transportation Element of the Passaic County Master Plan, the County has not built any of the conceptual improvements nor provided a schedule for implementation of the improvements. He said this element is heavily influenced by Complete Streets guidelines which will improve and promote eco-tourism.
The county roads within the township recommended for resurfacing in 2018 in priority order as submitted to the county are: Union Valley Road (Van Orden Road to Oxbow Lane); East Shore Road (Forest Lake Drive to the West Milford Township line); Oak Ridge Road (Cozy Lake Road to Route 23) and Hamburg Turnpike (Apshawa Cross Road to Route 23) for a total of 2.4 miles.
Earlier in the year, Miller provided Lysicatos with questions about implementation of the Transportation Element of the Passaic County Master Plan.
In giving responses to the township’s questions Lysicatos noted to Miller that West Milford input into the master plan was very valuable and provided insight into how transportation solutions are applied within the municipality. He wrote that those insights will be critical in developing new solutions and future implementation of projects identified in the plan or as local priorities.
The associate director said complete streets treatments have been installed as part of the county review of all resurfacing activities that have been designed and installed since 2013. He said these treatments can include traffic calming techniques, road or lane diets, and/or dedicated bicycle facilities. This includes portions of the following roadways: Union Valley Road, Greenwood Lake Turnpike, Macopin Road and Oak Ridge Road.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority corridors in the county master plan include portions of Ridge Road, Westbrook Road and Nosenzo Pond Road. Lysicatos explained that the reason these municipal roads were included is that county staff was informed by the West Milford Planning Board and staff that bicycle facilities were planned and completed for these roadways by the township. The information was included in the mapping in order to provide the most complete view of the bicycle and pedestrian network throughout Passaic County.