'Safety Changes' May Come to Route 17, 287 Interchange

Local officials say they are working with the state to add safety changes to the traffic pattern where Routes 17, 87, and 287 meet at the state border with NY in Mahwah.

Mahwah township engineer Mike Kelly reported at a recent town council meeting that he has been working with the state Department of Transportation to develop some of the changes.

Kelly and other local officials recently prompted DOT traffic engineers to conduct a field investigation of the area, “to see if any small-scale revisions can be made to help improve safety,” DOT spokesman Tim Greeley said.

According to Greeley, the DOT is working on the following additions to the area:

• “Additional signage is needed at the Route 17 northbound overpass to Interstate 287, right at the state border,” he said. “A design plan is being formulated that proposes to install new [yellow and black] chevron signs at the curve of the overpass for the approach to the overpass and for the curve after the overpass as motorists prepare to merge onto 287 southbound.”
• “A new advance curve sign and rolling truck sign will be installed immediately before the ramp and additional signing will be installed at the north end of Route 17, before the ramp.” 
• There will possibly two 'right lane for exit' only signs. 
• Additionally, “an existing overhead sign will be redesigned to conform to the new changes.”

Greeley said there is not yet a timeline for any of the changes to be implemented.