Repair work to start on Paterson's flood-prone, potholed River Street. Here's when

PATERSON — Sections of River Street will be closed to traffic on Monday for the scheduled start of a massive, long-delayed $10 million road reconstruction job that could take as long as 14 months.

Excavators will be digging test pits 8 feet below the pavement in the first phase of the project, with road closures limited to one or two blocks of River Street at a time, said City Engineer James McGrath.

The second phase will involve sending video cameras through the sewer lines to determine whether the pipes simply need to be relined or require more extensive repairs, he said.

River Street will pose a particularly difficult change for detours. That’s because it’s not part of Paterson’s standard boxed grid of roads. Instead, River Street runs at a slant through the regular grid, and in many places it doesn’t have another road running parallel to it.

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“It’s going to be gridlock,” Councilman Luis Velez said of the expected traffic.

But Mayor Andre Sayegh said the massive potholes and chronic flooding on River Street — which he said hasn’t been repaved in three decades — make fixing the road one of the top priorities of city residents.

Sayegh said people attending a recent high school graduation started chanting, “Fix River Street.” The mayor said he wants to have a parade when the repaving work gets done.

“This has been the talk of the town,” Sayegh said.

One of Paterson's longest roads

River Street is one of the longest roads in Paterson, running for about a mile and a half from West Broadway in the 1st Ward, through the northern part of the 4th Ward and across the top of the 3rd Ward before it ends at 1st Avenue.

Fourth Ward Councilwoman Ruby Cotton agreed with the mayor about the importance of the project . “It’s not a day that goes by that I don’t get a call about River Street,” said Cotton, who represents the 4th Ward.

Paterson is using a chunk of its federal American Rescue Plan COVID pandemic relief funds for the work. “Thank God we got blessed with ARP money,” Velez said.

Sayegh said his administration would have borrowed money for the project if it didn’t have COVID funds.

The council approved an $8.6 million construction contract for River Street. The engineering design and oversight work put the cost closer to $10 million.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Repair work to start on Paterson's flood-prone, potholed River Street. Here's when