Train Underpass Closes for Improvements Next Week

The passageway under the tracks in Ridgewood will be closed for nearly a month beginning next week for the commencement of various improvements to the train station, NJ Transit said in a release.

Rehabilitation work to the underpass will begin Monday, Oct. 7, closing all five access points to the passage through the end of October, according to NJ Transit.

A $167,000 project to paint the underpass in preparation for advertisements will be entirely funded by the transit service, through money made available to the village in return for unsatisfactory improvements during a multimillion-dollar renovation undertaken several years ago, then-Village Manager Ken Gabbert said in August.

A $48,000 bid from New London, NJ-based Streetscape Services to paint the underpass was approved by the council Aug. 14. The painting is a prerequisite to installing advertising frames that would generate revenue for the village.

Other improvements planned include paving of the lot, irrigation work and the restoration of a coffee stand, the operation of which will be bid out to vendors.

NJ Transit advised that commuters should allow for additional travel time during completion of the work. Stairs and elevators at the Franklin Avenue underpass will remain in use through the period.