Montclair’s treacherous Watchung Avenue intersection will finally get traffic light
The intersection of Watchung Avenue, Watchung Plaza and Park Street in Montclair, red-flagged by the town as dangerous for a decade, will finally get improvements, including a light and roadway striping, to aid pedestrians and motorists.
The announcement was made by Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, who said Monday that a traffic study of the intersection and its “unique configuration” has been commissioned and that after those results, the project will be put out to bid.
Among changes in addition to the traffic light and striping, cars leaving the Watchung Avenue Extension Lot will be allowed to make only a right turn onto Watchung Avenue.
Councilor Bob Russo said he and others have been working on a solution to the treacherous intersection since he was mayor in the early 2000s. A right-turn-only sign added last year to the end of Watchung Plaza did not prove effective, according to a paper published by Montclair State University student Dylan Silva in Russo’s government class there.
Last year, Robert Genovese, the owner of Local Coffee — which is on the corner of Watchung Plaza and Watchung Avenue — who has witnessed frequent accidents there, collected a petition with 1,000 signatures asking for improvements to the intersection.
Other local leaders, including Councilors Peter Yacobellis and Robin Schlager, have also been vocal in their concerns and involved in efforts to make changes to the intersection.
“The improvements we are planning will address concerns shared with us by residents and Montclair officials,” DiVincenzo said.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Montclair Watchung Avenue intersection to get traffic light
