After seven years and $211M, the construction on Route 46/3 is (mercifully) almost done

Seven years and more than $211 million later, the New Jersey Transportation Department's elaborate reconfiguration of the Route 46/Route 3 interchange is, for most intents and purposes, deemed complete.

"There is no substantial work to be done, and the project is still expected to be completed by the end of the year," said Leanna Nelson, the department's public information officer.

Final items on Route 3/Route 46 construction

The weekend of Oct. 14 and 15 saw the last stages of paving, and this past weekend, construction for overhead signs forced the closing of the Route 46 eastbound ramp to Notch Road. Work there was expected to last about a week.

Some of the remaining work includes striping, pavement marker installation and landscaping, Nelson said.

For area businesses, drivers and local officials, the construction's end will come as a relief.

"After too many years, I’m looking forward to a substantial amount of rush-hour traffic being eliminated from our local roads, since drivers will be better-suited remaining on the highway now that traffic will be flowing far more freely," Little Falls Mayor James Damiano said.

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Previously, he said, Route 46 just didn’t have enough lanes to flow freely heading east, but the improvements will allow cars to move much more smoothly toward New York.

Transportation officials said that was precisely the point of the federally funded project. The interchange's configuration was deficient, creating major bottlenecks for vehicles traveling in either direction.

Factor in heavy traffic volume during peak periods, inadequate or nonexistent acceleration and deceleration lanes and shoulders, all adding to the congestion, the Transportation Department said.

Two-part project

The realignment was performed in two stages, labeled Contract A and Contract B. Construction work began on Contract A in spring 2016.

Contract A included the relocation of major Newark and Passaic Valley Water Commission water mains, a new Clove Road overpass and reconstruction of the existing Notch Road Bridge.

It also added a new Notch Road/Lackawanna Avenue/Rifle Camp Road roundabout and featured the reconstruction of both Lackawanna Avenue and Rifle Camp Road and a full-length construction service road from Valley Road to the new roundabout, among other items.

Contract B, started in 2020, was the more ambitious, $170 million project to widen Route 46, provide standard shoulders and acceleration/deceleration/auxiliary lanes and create better sight distance. At the intersection of Routes 46 and 3, a three-lane section replaced the existing two-lane connections.

It also added items like sound barriers and realigned the interchange of 46 and 3, as well, which drivers and officials say seems to be working.

The ultimate proof of the project's efficacy, said Clifton Mayor Ray Grabowski, will be how well traffic flows in the long term.

"We are glad the project is finally completed," Grabowski said. "I'm sure it was a hardship for some of the business owners over the past years, and hopefully the improvements will help revitalize their businesses."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Route 46 and Route 3 construction in Passaic County nearly done