An upgrade of the intersection of Park Avenue, Prospect Avenue and East Ninth Street finally took off in recent weeks after languishing for years under a big sign crediting officials for the project. A new sign identifies it as an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project.
Instead of two separate feeds into Park Avenue around the old concrete island, the upgrade will merge traffic from Prospect Avenue (right) and East Ninth Street (left) onto Park Avenue, perhaps the city's busiest north-south corridor.
The plan for the upgrade dates back to 2007 and includes input from residents who fought for esthetic appeal as well as improved safety for the hundreds of school children who traverse the intersection. See Plaintalker's 2007 report here. 
As months and years passed with no action, residents began to worry about the plan. Maria Pellum confirmed that funding was still in place and kept up the drum beat for completion of the project. From her home on an adjacent corner, she was finally rewarded with the rumble of heavy machinery and eventually the outlines of walks and planting areas to come.
New traffic lights with cameras are part of the project. 
Students from Plainfield High School and Evergreen School and all Park Avenue pedestrians will have a nicer walk when all is finished.
The view from West Ninth Street, adjacent to the Plainfield Public Library, has a jumble presently of old and new light poles and signage, including three signs for Park Avenue. Much credit must go to Maria and those who helped design the "peninsula," as it came to be known, for keeping up the pressure on officials to fulfill their promise of a beautiful and useful new intersection.
--Bernice
Even though there was a huge, ugly sign touting the mayor's name, the real person to thank for this is Maria. The mayor had less than nothing to do with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Maria for your persistence. It paid off.
Maria, April Steffel and yours truly were all involved in the work to make the "parquecito" (little park) for that intersection. Union County's original "designs" were abysmal - just a couple of strips of concrete and some grass in between.
ReplyDeleteBarbara