Broadway Work Should Not Disrupt Business, Engineer Says
Westwood officials are planning to change traffic lights to allow drivers to move on Broadway while trains block intersections.
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A project to improve traffic signals along Broadway in Westwood should have only a minimal impact on drivers while the work is being done, according to borough engineer Stephen Boswell.
The plan will allow traffic to move on Broadway even when trains come through town, once the work is complete. Currently, traffic stops in all directions on Broadway and intersecting streets along the tracks when a train comes through.
The intersections of Broadway with Irvington Street, Washington Avenue and Westwood Avenue and First Avenue and Jefferson Avenue will be upgraded with LED traffic lights and audible pedestrian crossing signals as part of the project.
"This is going to be state of the art," Boswell said.
Boswell also said that he expects the work can be done without making any traffic detours.
If the work starts next spring or summer, it should be finished by the following winter, according to Boswell. In the case that it lasts until the Christmas shopping season, the work can be temporarily shut down so as to not disrupt local merchants, he said.
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Westwoodian since '91
9:19 am on Saturday, September 22, 2012
So glad something is being done. Getting through Westwood can be a 5 minute trip or a 20 minute trip depending on the train schedule. I wish the work was done over this summer!
Ouija
10:33 am on Saturday, September 22, 2012
While I'm happy this will be fixed (eventually) I just wonder if a little suburban town really needs a "state of the art" crossing system with audible pedestrian signals. Is it really that hard to know when to cross a street? I've been doing it on my own since I was like 6 years old. It's not Broadway and 42nd Street...it's Broadway and Westwood Avenue. Not that complicated.
B@B
3:54 am on Sunday, September 23, 2012
You'd think, wouldn't you? But too many people have interpreted the new "stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk" law to mean "pedestrians may cross anywhere they want, anytime they want, wearing dark clothing after dark in the rain."
Lindee Bean
6:42 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012
I don't get it. Why don't they just program the traffic lights on Broadway to stay green when the train comes through? This way all traffic that is moving either south or north can continue - and only vehicles that need to cross the tracks need to stop. WHY spend tens, or hundreds of thousands of dollars on such an elaborate traffic light system??
Pat Tita
11:08 am on Thursday, September 27, 2012
I agree. Why not try controlling the lights instead of making the intersection like 42nd St. All of the towns where the train runs through have the problem of having to wait until the train stops & starts again. Does everyone in these towns want a state of the art traffic signal.