Can flood-prone Route 23 be elevated near the river? Local officials are hopeful

Officials from towns along Route 23 are calling on the state to elevate a portion of the highway after it flooded and shut down twice in a matter of weeks, each time paralyzing traffic for miles.

The flooding also affected local commerce as officials said thousands of travelers had to wend their way on secondary roads, bypassing retail plazas and shopping malls.

The issue elicited a response from state Sen. Kristin Corrado, a Republican from Totowa who said she supports any road project to relieve flooding woes in this area.

“These closures caused disruptive detours throughout the region,” said Corrado, who serves the 40th Legislative District. “I continue to be open to exploring solutions to mitigate flooding and its devastating impacts on our communities.”

The six-lane highway, which runs from Verona to the New York state line, crosses the Pompton River at the border between Pequannock Township and Wayne.

The low spot, officials said, is north of the bridge and south of the intersection with Alexander Avenue — an important artery that provides access to and from Newark Pompton Turnpike.

Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano said the state should consider raising the grade of the highway by 2 feet over that half-mile span. “It’s a crying shame that the road was designed improperly,” he said. “I’m sure everyone who sat in traffic would agree with me, but it’s much more than just sitting in traffic — it’s businesses that were hurting.”

Back-to-back rainstorms in the past two months left many residents in the river basin fatigued and, in the worst scenarios, at a loss for shelter.

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At the height of the storms, as floodwater cascaded over Route 23, northbound motorists were backed up beyond the Alps Road intersection. Those who exited the highway at Black Oak Ridge Road were forced to follow miles-long detours in the wrong direction, Vergano said.

“People could not get from one town to another,” Vergano said. “It took people hours to get home.”

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Pequannock Township Mayor Ryan Herd agreed with the proposal to raise the highway, saying it is “part of the solution” for “flooding challenges we face.”

Herd noted other measures that should be considered, including dredging of the Passaic and Pompton rivers, and opening of the floodgates at the Pompton Lakes Dam ahead of torrential storms.

The latter point has been argued about for years. It was debated again, in advance of the storm last month, when the state Department of Environmental Protection denied requests by Herd, Vergano and other mayors to unlatch the gates.

The state Department of Transportation released a statement Tuesday through a spokesperson, who said the agency incorporates flood-mitigation measures in its construction projects when possible.

“Most projects are required to upgrade existing drainage to improve flooding issues caused by inadequate drainage,” said Lizzy Galamba, the spokesperson.

When flooding is caused by a river or stream, she said, the agency will evaluate the floodplain elevation to decide whether an affected road could be raised.

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Tens of millions of dollars have been allocated to address flooding along state highways, Galamba said. In certain instances, she said, elevating the profile of the road was the answer.

Federal funding of $48.5 million is being spent for ongoing upgrades to the drainage system along 5 miles of Route 20 in Clifton and Paterson, she said.

The project, which should be done by the end of next year, will also mitigate flooding by raising the highway surface at the Fifth Avenue intersection in Paterson by 3 feet, Galamba said.

More work is set to begin this week at milepost 14.3 on Route 23 south in Kinnelon, she said. Crews will start repairing a culvert just before Cutlass Road, closing the shoulder in that location for two months.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ mayor suggests lifting Route 23 to stop flooding