NORTH BERGEN – Due to recent reports in various media outlets concerning traffic conditions at the intersection of 88th street and Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen – the site of the Vornado Shopping Center featuring Walmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club and other stores and restaurants – the township launched a comprehensive traffic study of the area to determine the validity of safety concerns that have been expressed. The study shows that incidents of car accidents are no higher than in other comparable urban intersections and that concerns about safety are unwarranted.
“When residents come to us with a concern we always perform our due diligence and look into it,” said North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco. “The results of this traffic study show that the area around Vornado is not any more dangerous than any other stretch of Tonnelle Avenue or any busy urban street. It was a good project when it was approved and it’s still a good project for North Bergen now.”
The study, conducted by the North Bergen Police Department’s Traffic Division, looked at the total number of car accidents on Tonnelle Avenue between 88th street and 89th street from January 2010 to September 2011. During that time there were 158 recorded traffic accidents – however, 94 of them occurred within the parking lot of the shopping center. These low-speed accidents are, in most cases, nothing more than minor fender benders. Twenty six of them involved fixed objects, meaning that drivers struck parked cars, light poles or other non-moving objects.
When the parking lot accidents are removed, the total amount of accidents on the roadway over that 21-month period is 64, or about three per month. This is very consistent with comparable busy urban streets and should not be seen as any unusual safety hazard, according to the North Bergen Police Department.
Opened in late 2010, the Vornado shopping center features several nationally-known stores as well as restaurants. It was a significant addition to North Bergen’s commercial ratable base, helping keep residential property taxes stable. Construction on the project created hundreds of jobs during the height of the economic recession, and currently hundreds more are working in the stores in the center. It also contributed to the long running economic revitalization of Tonnelle Avenue, helping turn it from a blighted area full of abandoned industrial buildings into a regional shopping destination and economic engine.
Construction is proceeding on a Left-Turn Only lane that will direct North-bound traffic on Tonnelle Avenue into the shopping center, which is expected to significantly ease traffic coming in and out of the area. The lane is expected to be completed this Spring.