As was reported at the Mayor & Borough Council meeting on October 19th, the Borough will be removing the Town Tables from the roadways on So. 3rd and No. 4th Avenues today, Monday Nov. 1st, in order to comply with newly revised New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) guidelines and new NJ State legislation (S3340).
The roadways will reopen to vehicle traffic once it is safe to do so.
“Reopening these spaces to cars is intended to be a temporary one,” said Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler. “Working in consultation with State Senator Patrick Diegnan, the Borough is in the process of applying for a permit from the NJDOT to allow for the permanent closure of sections of So. 3rd Ave and No. 4th Ave. The goal is to get through the permitting process this winter in time to reinstate the Town Tables in the Spring.”
This intended temporary reopening of South 3rd and North 4th Avenues will also allow PSE&G time to finish with the much-needed paving restoration work.
In the interim, the Borough will be working with Main Street Highland Park and businesses to relocate tables to maintain as much of the popular outdoor dining and gathering spaces as possible.
“Our Town Tables have been enormously helpful to our downtown businesses, our residents, our pedestrians, and our children, and are one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic," said Rebecca Hersh, Director of Main Street Highland Park. "Main Street strongly supports keeping as many public outdoor tables downtown as possible, as well as increasing pedestrian space wherever possible. We are excited to work with the Borough and NJDOT on bringing back these spaces in a more permanent way in the near future.”
