CRANFORD — Commissioner Kathleen Miller-Prunty and other members of the township committee spoke to residents Tuesday night about the beginning stages of a county project that will replace the footbridge at Balmiere Parkway and Riverside Drive. Construction will begin on Monday, April 15, and is expected to be completed this fall.
“A lot of people use it, so we realize it’s an inconvenience,” Ms. Miller-Prunty said. “Even though it’s a county project, it impacts our community. Today, we did a video for TV 35 explaining the project, and the video will be on our Facebook page as we continue to update people.”
Mayor Brian Andrews emphasized that this is a county project, and so the township will have less control over the project than residents might expect.
“We know this will be very disruptive to people, especially kids who use that bridge every day to get to school,” Mr. Andrews said.
“The footbridge has post pillars that go into the river, and they have a tendency to catch large limbs of trees,” Ms. Miller-Prunty said. “[The debris] collects under the bridge and acts as a dam. We don’t want that. The new bridge will be six feet wide and will be a suspension bridge like the one in Nomahegan Park.”
Commissioner Miller-Prunty also acknowledged that many people are upset about the timeline for the project. Removal of the existing bridge will take place this month and then work to construct the new bridge will begin in early fall. Work will be done along the riverbanks over the summer, but state-level regulations dictate that no work can be done in the river itself from May 1 to August 1.
Deputy Mayor Terrence Curran provided a quick update about the 750 Walnut project.
“The dust seems to be a little better with all the rain we had,” Mr. Curran said. “They are rebuilding the berm. They were able to put up the traffic signs, so people coming out of 750 will turn left or right as opposed to cutting across through the neighborhood streets over there, so that is something we are hoping will have an impact.”
Mr. Curran added that the township committee discussed during one of its recent workshop meetings the possibility of turning Bernard Avenue into either a dead end or a oneway street.
“We are reviewing that option with the police department right now to figure things out,” he said. “Whatever is easier for the residents over there.”
The legal dispute over the landscape plan at the site remains ongoing, and Mr. Curran assured residents that there will be more updates to come. Mayor Andrews and Commissioner Paul Gallo are meeting with the police department to discuss traffic enforcement in the area.
Meanwhile, residents remain disappointed with the current situation.
“Why didn’t it stop when the very first tree was cut down?” Cranford resident Toby Singhbaba asked. “Every single one of you owes those residents an apology. 750 Walnut is why I’m here, and this is an example of how the government is not working. Any one of you could have stopped those trees from coming down right then and there rather than asking now how you can make up for it.”
Cranford resident Angela Leary agreed that the efforts to reduce the amount of dust at the site also are “not working.”
The mayor responded by saying that they are using all their tools to address the situation, but that the tools they have are not perfect.
