Historically, South Park Street has been little more than a “parking lot” and vehicular cut-through. More than 10-years ago a vision was set forth to transform this street into a vibrant, pedestrian oriented town square for gathering, shopping and hosting events. This new space encourages pedestrians shopping on Church Street to continue along South Park and Bloomfield Avenue. The township is hopeful that South Park Street will become an extension of Church Street and future economic driver.
Arterial developed the design to transform this corridor into a balanced, flexible town center. The roadway was narrowed to eliminate the expansive profile and continue the pedestrian promenade from Church Street. A flush cobble median was added to provide pedestrian refuge and calm traffic while allowing the town to close half the street for various events while maintaining vehicular access to the main parking deck. Other key elements of this streetscape included bike sharrows, ergo crosswalks, curb extensions, café spaces, flex space for outdoor
entertainment & art displays and textured mid-block crossing.
Awards
2013 Complete Streets Excellence Award - NJDOT
2014 Platinum Design Excellence Award - Downtown New Jersey