North Haledon outlines timelines for road, sidewalk and playground projects; $710,400 grant requested

Borough of North Haledon officials reviewed a slate of infrastructure projects at the April 16, 2025 work session, highlighting long material lead times for a major intersection upgrade, the imminent start of bank-stabilization work on Squaw Brook Road and a grant request to renovate the High Mountain School playground.

During the engineering project status report, borough officials said the Overlook Avenue/High Mountain Road intersection improvements would face a 52-week materials lead time if work began now, meaning there is no firm start date yet. The report also said the majority of the Linda Vista sidewalk project was completed last fall and that restoration work is scheduled to resume in the coming weeks.

Why it matters: The schedule and funding steps described on April 16 affect neighborhood street access and playground upgrades that serve school families and local pedestrians. Long vendor lead times for intersection materials could push some projects into next construction seasons and affect coordination with other borough roadwork.

Engineers told the council that the Squaw Brook Road bank-stabilization project is moving to construction and that the contractor will be required to maintain one lane of traffic during work. Borough staff said draft materials for the bank stabilization were recently received and that construction will begin once those plans are finalized; Squaw Brook Road improvements are expected to follow, with an estimated mid- to late-summer start.

The borough has applied for a third Passaic County Open Space grant for renovation of the High Mountain School playground; borough officials reported combined requested funding across three grants totaling $710,400. Officials said receipt of the third grant would trigger fuller conversations on the playground design and scope.

The 2025 road program listed specific resurface and repair targets — Juniper Drive, Walnut Court, Tuxedo Court and Lakeview Drive — and included plans to design sidewalk improvements near the playground and the High Mountain School parking area. Separately, the borough reported a $273,406 New Jersey Department of Transportation grant to fund phased improvements on Manchester Avenue; borough staff said the project will likely replace only the sections in notably poor condition rather than full reconstruction.

Financial and schedule details provided at the session were limited to the figures listed in the engineering update and the grant-request totals; officials did not provide firm construction start dates for several projects beyond the general mid- to late-summer window for Squaw Brook work. The borough also noted it will move to the design phase for several sidewalk projects once priorities are finalized.

Officials said they will return with more detailed timelines and design proposals as grants are secured and contractor schedules are finalized.