We have all added minutes to our drives lately, and Montclair road closures are the reason. This week they affect several streets, most of them on or near Grove Street.
Nearly all of the work is PSE&G’s. The utility is replacing the town’s aging gas pipes, then grinding off and repaving the roads afterward. That work is happening on many streets at once, and the township’s schedule for the week shows where and when.
What are the Montclair road closures this week?
Posted September 18, the schedule runs through Friday. Two terms appear in it: milling, which grinds off the old road surface before repaving, and gas service, PSE&G’s work on the underground gas lines.
- Thursday, Sept. 24: Milling on Stanford Place and Euclid Place (Grove Street to Cleveland Road) and on Ferncliff Terrace (Cleveland Road to Ridgewood Avenue). Gas service begins on Valley Road, between Mount Hebron Road and Laurel Place.
- Friday, Sept. 25: Milling on Ardsley Road (Grove Street to Mitchell Place) and Tremont Place (Ardsley Road to the dead end). Gas service continues on Valley Road.
- All week, Sept. 21 to 25: Gas service on Alexander Avenue, between Valley Road and Norwood Avenue.
Upper Mountain Avenue is a separate township project. Milling and paving were scheduled there for Sept. 14 through 17. The township expects restriping, which repaints the lane markings, and new traffic-calming measures, which are meant to slow drivers, to begin this week and take about a week (full notice).
The township warns that PSE&G “may change work locations with little notice.” The mix of gas service, milling and paving on one list points to why so many streets are affected at once.
Why is PSE&G working on so many Montclair streets at once?
The project is at different stages on different streets. PSE&G is replacing aging cast iron gas pipes with plastic or coated steel piping, which it says improves the safety and reliability of the gas system. Crews first install the new main, the large pipe under the street. Technicians then connect each home’s service line, the smaller pipe that runs to the house, and its meter. Only after that do crews mill and repave. A street can close for more than one of those steps.
This week’s list includes all three kinds of work: gas service on two streets, milling on eight and paving on four.
The project is not new. Township closure notices for PSE&G main replacement in Montclair date to at least September 2024. PSE&G’s Montclair project page says construction is nearing completion. Neither the township nor PSE&G gives a finish date, so the township’s closures page is the place to watch for new streets.
Where can I find the latest Montclair road closure updates?
Bookmark the township’s Current Road Closures and Traffic Impacts page. It lists the schedule in a table and notes that streets missing from the list can close, too. Residents on affected blocks should also hear from PSE&G through door hangers, mailed notices or robocalls.
With no finish date given and the schedule subject to change, check the township’s page before every trip this week and allow an extra 15 minutes.
Image credit: Unsplash/Zac Gudakov
