Overview

• Goal to make street safer for all

• 32 crashes on this area of W Montrose since 2022

• Road repaving, replacing curbs, slight widening of road in select spots, redoing sidewalk over train

• Paid for by $505,000 grant from NJ Department of Transportation 

Pedestrian Safety Upgrades

• ADA accessibility updates

• New high visibility crosswalks

• New high visibility signs and posts

• Montrose & Vose: rumble strips, pavement markings, and warning signs for pedestrian crossings

• 15mph Speed Zone Advisory signs at Vose and Clark 

Parking

• Road is too narrow to support parking by current safety standards

Bike Lanes

• New bike lanes on West Montrose from Ridgewood to Scotland

• South Orange’s second bike lane

• Research shows bike lanes slow traffic and increase safety for all

• Provides access to Mountain Station, three schools, and future Greenway

Timeline

• 2017: A pedestrian was killed by a driver on the W Montrose Ave train overpass 

• 2021: South Orange applied for and was awarded a NJDOT Local Aid grant for W Montrose road improvements

• 2022: No action on this project

• 2023: Engineer designed W Montrose improvements

• 2024: NJDOT & NJ Historic Preservation office took over a year to approve the designs

• 2025: Ordinance prohibiting parking was enacted in June 2025 and construction completed in October 2025

• Between 2022-2025, more than 30 crashes occurred on this stretch of W Montrose Ave - we hope to see this trend turn around with the safety improvements!

Construction Plans: 

• https://www.southorange.org/DocumentCenter/View/13513/West-Montrose-Avenue-Improvements