Politics & Government

State DOT To Close Route 5 Between Fort Lee, Edgewater For Month

Beginning Tuesday, drivers in both directions will be forced to take the long way around for the next month as NJDOT continues project to protect the road from falling rocks

After about a month of partial closures and detours on a three-tenths of a mile stretch of road between Fort Lee and neighboring Edgewater, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is planning to close the section of Route 5 completely in both directions starting Tuesday morning for about the next month, NJDOT officials announced Friday.

The road closure and resulting detours are part of a $3.8 million project to “remove and stabilize” loose rock along the western edge of Route 5 between the Fort Lee Pump Station and Undercliff Ave., officials said. 

“The closure is necessary for safety purposes during rock scaling operations,” officials said in a statement. “Closing the road to traffic will also allow the work to be accomplished faster.”

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The closure of Route 5 in both directions is scheduled to begin by 6 a.m. Tuesday, according to NJDOT.

“The existing roadside rock outcrops consist of loose rock that has the potential to fall onto the Route 5 mainline roadway,” according to the statement.

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Eastbound traffic on Route 5, or traffic heading from Fort Lee to Edgewater, will therefore be detoured north on Palisade Ave. to Main St., east to River Rd. and south into Edgewater, officials said. Traffic in the opposite direction will be detoured north on River Rd. to Bruce Reynolds Blvd. in Fort Lee, west to Martha Washington Way, south to Palisade Ave. and south to where Palisade Ave. meets up with Route 5.

NJDOT officials said the detours were coordinated with both towns and NJ TRANSIT.

Work on the project began in early July with all large truck traffic detoured since then and westbound traffic only—traffic heading from Edgewater to Fort Lee—detoured weekdays during peak hours. 

“Variable message signs” will be used to keep drivers informed of changes in traffic patterns during construction, and the precise timing of the work is subject to change “due to weather or other factors,” NJDOT officials said, adding that they expect the entire project to be completed by late summer 2012.


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