Superstructure Replacement of Garden State Parkway Bridge No. 158.2 over Passaic River, US 46 and River Road

Project Description

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority proposed superstructure replacement and widening of Bridge No. 158.2 over the Passaic River. The number of existing travel lanes would be maintained; however, inner and outer shoulders would be wider, and the existing Lexington Avenue on-ramp to southbound Garden State Parkway would be shifted to the north, closer to residential backyards on E. 4th Street.

The proposed project was not included within the most recently approved Transportation Improvement Plan because no federal funding was required, and the project is not considered to be regionally significant. Therefore, the project was not subject to the Transportation Conformity Rule. Since the project would not create any new signalized intersections, and all traffic movements are free flowing ramps that tie into Route 46 eastbound and westbound, the project did not require a CO microscale assessment. Further, no change in PM2.5 emissions is expected with project implementation. A summary was prepared for the New Jersey Executive Order 215 (E.O. 215) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Noise monitoring was preformed to validate the project-specific TNM2.5 model. A noise analysis was prepared in accordance with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s Policy for Construction of Noise Barriers in Residential Areas, dated October 2006. Pursuant to the Authority’s policy, impacts were assessed for residential receivers only. Further, since the proposed project was not defined by the Authority as a new construction or widening project, the Authority did not consider noise barrier mitigation. A summary of the assessment was prepared for inclusion within the E.O. 215 EIS document.