Commissioner Bartlett: NJTPA advances $47 million for Route 46/80/23 interchange; construction expected to start this year

Commissioner Bartlett reported to the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners that the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) advanced an additional $47,000,000 in funding for improvements to the Route 46/80/23 interchange near Willowbrook Mall, bringing the total project cost to $131,000,000.

Bartlett said the money will help create a new connection from Interstate 80 to Route 23 (northbound and southbound) and to Route 46 westbound, improve acceleration and deceleration lane geometry on Route 80, and add retaining walls. He told the board that construction is expected to begin late this year and wrap up around 2031.

Bartlett placed the funding in historical context, noting the project had been in design decades earlier and that securing funding has been a long process. He described the improvements as aimed at better access to Willowbrook Mall and parts of Wayne north of Route 80.

The board did not record further actions on this item at the meeting; Bartlett presented this as an informational report during commissioner reports.