Improvement of Teaneck intersection at Route 4 requires taking greenbelt land

TEANECK — The state Department of Transportation's $74 million proposal to replace the 92-year-old Palisade Avenue Bridge and improve the Belle Avenue intersection of Route 4 was the subject of a Green Acres hearing to gather public input.

The proposal needs Green Acres approval because it requires the acquisition of about one-third of an acre of property from three parks lining Route 4 to accommodate the project. The parks in question are Gaylord Park, Window Park and Milton Votee Park.

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation from Tuesday's hearing is posted on the township's website, teanecknj.gov .

The parks lining Route 4 are known collectively as the greenbelt and were preserved when Route 4 was built in the 1930s as a visual marketing tool to demonstrate the municipality's support for environmental preservation. The roadside trees create a distinctive break from the adjacent commercial areas that otherwise line one of Bergen County's main access routes to and from the George Washington Bridge connecting it to Manhattan.

The largely undeveloped 2½-mile section of the highway through Teaneck ends abruptly in Hackensack with other gas stations and a mall.

The preservation of the greenbelt has prevented the widening of Route 4 in the township from two lanes to three in each direction as the area evolved, creating a bottleneck that backs up traffic in both directions during rush hours. The Belle Avenue intersection in particular requires drivers to make death-defying entries onto the busy highway with little if any acceleration lane, furthering the area's reputation for gridlock.

The parks are under Green Acres's jurisdiction and the Department of Transportation is required to propose a replacement property for any taken from existing sites. In this case, a 6-acre property owned by the township is being proposed across Englewood Avenue from Argonne Park bounded by Englewood Avenue, Oak Street, Buffet Terrace, and Shepard Avenue known as Block 5068, Lot 10. The site is adjacent to the First Seventh Day Adventists Church at 405 Englewood Ave.

However, the site is 1 1/2 miles north of the greenbelt and it is unclear if it will be considered a suitable replacement.

The proposal includes:

• Replacement of Palisade Avenue Bridge with a five-span continuous bridge 18 feet wider to accommodate an acceleration/deceleration lane on Route 4 from Garrison Avenue to Queen Anne Road, and 10-foot shoulders on both sides of Route 4;
• Six-foot sidewalk on Route 4 eastbound from the Garrison Avenue bus stop to the sidewalk near Teaneck High School;
• Provide three lanes in each direction (does not specify where);
• Provide acceleration lane from Belle Avenue to Route 4 eastbound;
• Improve the deceleration lane from Route 4 eastbound to Belle Avenue;
• Improve "transition geometry" from three lanes to two lanes at Garrison Avenue Bridge through striping and signing.

The six-year project is scheduled to begin with utility relocation from the spring of 2025 to 2027, followed by a three-stage bridge construction scheduled to take place from the spring of 2027 to the spring of 2031.

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"This project will upgrade the bridge and allow for a modern traffic flow while increasing safety for vehicles and pedestrians alike," Mayor Michael Pagan said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. "Teaneck not only follows Green Acres rules, but strives to go above and beyond to help ensure our green spaces are protected and if absolutely necessary, addressed in a manner that provides alternate green spaces for our residents to enjoy."

Public comments should be emailed by Aug. 15 to ShivonA.Harris@dot.nj.gov or publicandcompliance@dep.nj.gov with a copy to Teaneck's Business Administrator Jaclyn Hashmat at admin@teanecknj.gov . Comments may also be mailed to the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Transactions and Public Land Administration, Public Land Compliance Sectionv, 401 E. State St., 7th floor, mail code 401-087, PO Box 420, Trenton NJ 08625-0420.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Improvement of Teaneck intersection at Route 4 requires taking greenbelt land