28 Dec ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF 14 INTERSECTION UPGRADES ALONG LYONS AVENUE AND CHANCELLOR AVENUE IN IRVINGTON
Published on December 28, 2016
Irvington, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. was joined by Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss on Wednesday, December 28th to announce that 14 intersections along Chancellor Avenue and Lyons Avenue in Irvington were modernized as part of a Federally-funded $6.4 million project. Upgrading the streetscape and improving traffic signals are part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to enhance motor vehicle and pedestrian safety and improve the flow of traffic.
“Motorists and pedestrians rely on our network of County roads to get to work, school and move about their daily lives. Modernizing our infrastructure is essential to meet the changing needs of the community and provide the safest conditions,” DiVincenzo said. “This major project included upgrades along two major thoroughfares in Irvington and will have a tremendous impact on the community,” he added.
“This is another great project sponsored by the County. We thank the County Executive and the Freeholders for their hard work and appreciate the great collaboration we have with the County,” Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss said.
“Providing modern intersections and upgrading the streetscape are incredibly important to our residents’ the quality of life. On behalf of the Freeholder Board, approving projects like this are easy,” Freeholder President Britnee Timberlake said. “We support all the work that is being done,” Freeholder Lebby Jones said.
“I want to thank the County Executive and the Board of Freeholder for looking out for Irvington. I would like to point out that these projects are beneficial for the disabled and handicapped because access and safety are enhanced,” Irvington Councilwoman October Hudley said. Also attending the ribbon cutting was Irvington Councilwoman Renee Burgess.
Along Chancellor Avenue, upgrades were made at seven intersections: Fabyan Place, Coit Street, Chestnut Street, Union Avenue, Park Place, Stuyvesant Avenue and 40th Street. At the eighth intersection, new traffic signals were installed at the intersection of Chancellor Avenue and Cordier Street.
Along Lyons Avenue, upgrades were made at six intersections: Stuyvesant Avenue, Park Place, Lincoln Place, Cleremont Avenue and Ball Street, Chester Avenue and Cordier Street.
Work at each intersection included the installation of new traffic signals, poles, mast arms, pedestrian countdown signals, audible pedestrian push buttons to aid visually impaired pedestrians cross the road, detectable warning surfaces on all curb ramps and signage for motorists and pedestrians. The roadway surface was milled and repaved with new striping and clearly marked pedestrian crosswalks to improve visibility. Curbing and sidewalks were repaired where needed. Along Lyons Avenue, all motor vehicle lanes were widened to a minimum 11 feet. This was achieved within the existing County right-of-way without widening the road.
The RBA Group from Parsippany was awarded a contract for $280,268 to design the intersection improvements along Chancellor Avenue and Lyons Avenue. This was funded through the Essex County Department of Public Works. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provided two grants totaling about $6.4 million to cover the cost of construction and inspections. For the Chancellor Avenue intersections, Assuncao Brothers Inc. (ABI) of Edison was awarded a publicly bid contract for $2,980,860 to perform the construction work and Pennoni Associates of Edison was awarded a contract for $239,194 to perform construction engineering and inspection services. For the Lyons Avenue intersections, Assuncao Brothers was awarded a publicly bid contract for $2,662,481 to perform the construction work and Dewberry Consulting Engineers from Bloomfield was awarded a contract for $211,892 to perform construction engineering and inspection services.