Get ready for months of detours as NJ replaces Squirrelwood Road bridge over Route 80

Matt Fagan, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·3 min read

WOODLAND PARK — Drivers should prepare for months of detours as the $12.2 million Squirrelwood Road bridge replacement project by the state Transportation Department gets started in April.

The bridge over Route 80 needs to be replaced because it is decaying and too low over the highway, state officials said.

The existing bridge abutments will be reconstructed to replace deteriorated concrete. The new abutments and bridge will be raised to improve clearance on Route 80, transportation officials said.

For much of the project, drivers headed north and looking to cross the bridge will be rerouted first to Route 80 east to Exit 57B, where they will make a U-turn and get on Route 80 west back to Squirrelwood Road, and then get on northbound Squirrelwood Road/Nagle Street.

The project was awarded to Berto Construction of Rahwah and is expected to take 18 months to two years to complete.

Borough Administrator Sam Yodice said local first responders have had a meeting with the contractor to discuss plans for the traffic disruption.

"They are cognizant and ready," Yodice said.

When it is finished, transportation officials say, the bridge will be wider, and a much-needed traffic signal will be installed at the Route 80 west exit where the ramp intersects with Squirrelwood Road.

Traffic at that location frequently stacks up on the highway, mostly because of motorists looking to turn right onto Squirrelwood Road north.

The traffic light will be installed at the ramp where motorists turn left onto Squirrelwood Road south.

The traffic light will allow motorists to make a left turn and prevent those heading north from getting backed up where Squirrelwood crosses Glover Avenue and changes to Nagle Street. This will allow an easier path for motorists trying to turn right from the Route 80 west ramp, officials said.

The current Squirrelwood Road Bridge, which stretches over I80, will be replaced by a taller bridge which will have a sidewalk in both directions over the interstate. Thursday, January 30, 2020
The current Squirrelwood Road Bridge, which stretches over I80, will be replaced by a taller bridge which will have a sidewalk in both directions over the interstate. Thursday, January 30, 2020

Bridge upgrades

The existing bridge, 30 feet wide from curb to curb, was constructed in 1968 and is too narrow and not high enough above the highway.

The new bridge will be 32 feet wide and will have two shoulders, one 11 feet wide and the other 5 feet wide. The new bridge will also have walkways on each side that are 5 feet wide.

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The new bridge will be more than a foot higher over Route 80, from 14 feet 3 inches to 15½ feet.

Work timeline

Stephen Schapiro, the spokesman for the state DOT said the project will have these five stages:

  • Pre-stage 1A and 1B, stages 1, 2, and post-stage 2. In addition to the gas main relocation, the pre-stages include building a temporary sidewalk to maintain pedestrian access during construction, as well as the installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of the I-80 westbound off-ramp and Squirrelwood Road.

  • The replacement of the bridge will take place in stages 1 and 2. Stage 1 is expected to begin in late April and be completed in the fall. The northbound side of the bridge will be closed and detoured for demolition and reconstruction. Southbound traffic will be maintained. In addition, the ramp from Squirrelwood Road northbound to I-80 westbound and the ramp from I-80 eastbound to Squirrelwood Road northbound will be closed and detoured.

  • In stage 2, southbound traffic will shift traffic onto the newly constructed northbound side of the bridge to allow for the demolition and reconstruction of the southbound side. This stage is expected to take approximately six months. Utility work will also be advanced during stages 1 and 2 without interrupting service to the adjacent communities.

  • The final stage (post-stage 2) includes final sidewalk construction, paving and striping work. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2025.

For more information, watch an explanatory video at squirrelwoodrdoverrt80.com. A detailed informational handout is also available to motorists on the Transportation Department website.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Squirrelwood Road NJ bridge construction starting, expect detours