Rockland Electric’s Blanch Avenue Detour Extended to July 3

Rockland Electric Company has extended its timetable by approximately one month for re-opening the 980-foot section of Blanch Avenue in Closter and Norwood between Livingston Street and West Street that has been closed since February 11.

The road closure is now estimated to end by Friday, July 3. Unforeseen developments during construction, including the need to exercise social distancing and other construction precautions during the COVID-19 public health emergency, have resulted in the schedule revision. The original completion date was initially set as the end of May.

The road closing is necessary to complete Rockland Electric Company’s electric reliability improvement project that is undergrounding 3.2 miles of transmission line from Old Tappan through Norwood to Closter. This project is considered essential construction under the state of New Jersey’s current public health emergency regulations.

The overall $28-million project, which began in 2018, also includes substantial upgrades for the Harings Corner and Closter substations. The entire project is due for completion at the end of October 2020.

The project is designed to enhance electric service reliability, accommodate increased electric load growth and further protect the electric system from storms for approximately 14,000 Rockland Electric customers in 10 Northern Valley communities: Closter, Norwood, Old Tappan, Northvale, Cresskill, Demarest, Harrington Park, Alpine, Haworth and Rockleigh.

Because of the road closing, some local Closter neighborhoods and businesses, along West Street and Herbert Avenue, for example, cannot be accessed from Norwood directly. Please access these areas using local Closter roads coming from the south.

To help manage this road closing:

• Detour signs will be posted.
• A truck route detour will be posted for Railroad Avenue access from Naugle Street
• Truck detour from Railroad Avenue will be as follows:
  - Railroad Ave. to Naugle Street
  - Naugle St. to Closter Dock Road
  - Closter Dock Rd. to Harrington Avenue
  - Harrington Ave. to Livingston Street
• No through truck access will be available on Van Sciver and West Streets

All Rockland Electric Company and contract personnel working on this project have been instructed to follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines during the health emergency, including wearing protective masks and practicing social distancing with each other and members of the public, in an attempt to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus.

If you have any questions about this project, please call O&R’s Customer Assistance Department at 1-877-434-4100.

Rockland Electric Company is an electric utility serving approximately 74,000 customers in parts of northern Bergen and Passaic counties and small sections of Sussex County in New Jersey. Rockland Electric is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R), which in turn is owned by Consolidated Edison, Inc.