Project Description
Main Avenue in Passaic, NJ is a historic commercial corridor and major transportation hub set in the heart of the Central Business District. It is the busiest bus hub in the state, providing access to jobs, education, and day-to-day needs to a predominantly Latino community. The avenue is bustling with pedestrians accessing public schools, community facilities, shops, bus stops, and restaurants. However, the current design is car dominated and unsafe for pedestrians.
At nearly 160’ in width, Main Avenue is a wide corridor comprised of narrow sidewalks and parking on either side and 4 travel lanes. But the most identifiable feature is the large municipal parking lot that is located within the center median where the historic trolley used to run. This creates a 160’ wide expanse of asphalt with no shade trees and few amenities that is difficult or impossible for pedestrians to cross comfortably.
Beginning in 2015, the Landscape Architect collaborated with the City to develop an equitable Vision Plan for Main Avenue that would promote economic growth while reconnecting the community to schools, amenities, and jobs. In 2019, the City of Passaic and Passaic County were awarded a grant by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to advance this plan. The Landscape Architect collaborated with a traffic engineering firm and the NJTPA to advance the Vision Plan into an NJDOT Concept Development Plan. This community driven plan was developed through a robust community engagement process facilitated in English and Spanish. A series of workshops were conducted with local schools to engage students and their parents in walkability audits that identified their needs and concerns as they walk to school. A Public Open House was held where the public learned about the project and provided valuable input by completing surveys using tablets and participating in several exercises that transcended the language barrier, including marking up a large map, and designing their own streets using our “Street Design” game. This resulted in a series of concept alternatives that were vetted through an extensive traffic analysis phase. The “Preferred Alternative” eliminates two lanes of traffic, transforms the center median parking into a grand public promenade, establishes a new accessible bus hub in the center of downtown, and includes bicycle lanes, shade trees, traffic calming and ample pedestrian amenities. This will re-establish Main Avenue as the economic, cultural, and social center of the City of Passaic and the region.
