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Residents urge pause on Bloomfield bus‑stop move; county says NJ Transit will fund relocation
Summary
A resident warned commissioners that moving a Bloomfield NJ Transit stop would remove the only ADA‑compliant crossing in the area; county engineering said the relocation request came from Bloomfield Police and that NJ Transit will cover relocation costs, while ADA and engineering follow‑up was requested.
A resident told the Essex County Board of County Commissioners the proposal to relocate a northbound NJ Transit bus stop at Broad Street and Foster Place in Bloomfield could eliminate the only nearby ADA‑compliant crossing and should be tabled until crosswalks and accessibility features are in place.
"That bus stop is the only one in that area that has crosswalks and ADA compliant... truncated domes," said Norm Sutaria during the public‑comment period, urging the board to delay approval until township and county engineers and police meet and a marked crosswalk is installed.
A Department of Public Works representative told the board the relocation request was initiated by the Bloomfield Police Department after resident complaints of loitering. The representative said New Jersey Transit will cover the relocation costs and that any accessibility improvements on county roadways (ramps, curb cuts, truncated domes) would be the county’s responsibility. "They're getting complaints at that location of loitering," the representative said, adding that the township must provide the required pedestrian access for a relocated stop.
Commissioners pushed for additional coordination and a follow‑up engineering report prior to construction. One commissioner asked whether the existing stop would remain in service "until they build a new one"; county staff confirmed the new stop must be constructed before the old one is removed. The board approved the consent item giving permission to relocate the stop and to proceed with adaptive traffic‑signal work after the engineering and ADA considerations noted on the record.
The transcript shows no formal timeline for construction; commissioners requested the Bloomfield engineering plan be submitted to the county before execution.
