Wood-Ridge station

Wood-Ridge is an active commuter railroad train station in the borough of Wood-Ridge, Bergen County, New Jersey. Located next to the interchange of Route 17 and Moonachie (County Route 36), the single low-level side platform station services trains of New Jersey Transit's Pascack Valley Line between Hoboken Terminal and Spring Valley. The next station to the north is Teterboro and to the south is Secaucus Junction. Wood-Ridge station is not accessible to handicapped persons and contains parking along Park Place East.

Not to be confused with Woodbridge station on the North Jersey Coast Line.
Wood-Ridge
The Wood-Ridge station in September 2011, from the bridge above the station.
General information
LocationPark Place East at Route 17 / Moonachie Avenue interchange, Wood-Ridge, New Jersey
Coordinates40.8437°N 74.0789°W / 40.8437; -74.0789
Owned byNew Jersey Transit
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
Parking20
AccessibleNo
Other information
Station code763 (Erie Railroad)[1]
Fare zone3[2]
History
OpenedJanuary 21, 1861[3][4]
Rebuilt1967[5]
Previous namesWoodridge–Moonachie[6]
Key dates
July 1, 1981Station agent eliminated[7]
Passengers
2018305 (average weekday)[8]
Services
Preceding station NJ Transit Following station
Teterboro
toward Spring Valley
 Pascack Valley Line Secaucus Junction
toward Hoboken
Former services
Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station
Hasbrouck Heights
toward Haverstraw
 New Jersey and New York Railroad Carlstadt
toward Jersey City

Service through the Wood-Ridge section of Bergen Township began with the opening of the Hackensack and New York Railroad on January 21, 1861 as Woodridge–Moonachie. The station contained a two-story wooden passenger station with dimensions of 39 by 18 feet (11.9 m × 5.5 m) with two freight houses, a 13 by 13 feet (4.0 m × 4.0 m) wooden structure and an old railroad car body serving as a secondary facility.[6][9] With the reconstruction of Route 17 in 1967, the railroad received approval to demolish the depot at Woodridge–Moonachie, which would be used by new right-of-way. As a result, a new 1,200 square feet (110 m2) concrete block depot would replace the wooden structure. This would also result in the elimination of stations at Hasbrouck Heights and Carlstadt.[10]

New Jersey Transit eliminated the station agent on July 1, 1981, closing the station depot in 1987 due to vandalism. They reversed the decision in September 1997.[11]

History

On March 20, 1967, the Erie Lackawanna Railroad and the Bergen County Board of Freeholders attended a meeting of the Board of Public Utility Commissioners. Due to upcoming roadwork in the area, the railroad wanted to abandon the two stations at Hasbrouck Heights and one at Carlstadt. A fourth station, the Woodridge–Moonachie stop would be moved to the south. The upcoming roadwork involved the widening of Route 17, which results in the construction of multiple overpasses in the stretch: Paterson Plank Road, Moonachie Avenue (County Route 36), along with Williams Avenue and Franklin Avenues in Hasbrouck Heights.[12]

The Public Utility Commissioners approved the decision to demolish the depots. As part of the station consolidation, Hasbrouck Heights and Carlstadt stops would be abandoned. Woodridge–Moonachie would be moved 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south and a new station depot would be built. Williams Avenue station in Hasbrouck Heights would be rebuilt with a new shelter and bus stop.[13]

In June 1967, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced they would open bids on reconstruction of Route 17, including the construction of the Moonachie Avenue overpass to help eliminate the high accident rate at the Route 17/Moonachie Avenue intersection. As part of the construction, Route 17 would be a highway of six 12-foot (3.7 m) wide lanes and 12-foot (3.7 m) shoulders from the original pair of 10-foot (3.0 m) lanes with 5-foot (1.5 m) shoulders. The six lanes would be separated by a 32-inch (81 cm) concrete Jersey barrier. Moonachie Avenue would be moved northward from its location to accommodate a new interchange. Anderson Avenue would go from a through street to a dead end and Bergen Street would be re-aligned to meet with the new Moonachie Avenue. Demolition of the Woodridge–Moonachie station and construction of its replacement. The Department of Transportation budgeted $7.25 million for the 3.8-mile (6.1 km) project.[14]

In early July 1967, the Department of Transportation announced they would begin accepting construction bids on the project on July 27. They also announced that the reconstruction of the Woodridge–Moonachie station depot would be done entirely on state funding.[15] The low-bid came in from George Brewster Construction and Equipment Company of Bogota at $2.5 million for the first stage of construction. The new station depot would be a 1,200-square-foot (110 m2) concrete block depot with ticket and freight offices, storage, waiting and boiler rooms, along with toilet facilities. The removal of the Woodridge–Moonachie, Carlstadt and Hasbrouck Heights stations would be under other contracts.[10] Four other bids were received, ranging between $2,726,748.57 and $3,203,980.95.[16]

On September 6, 1967, construction of the Route 17 widening began.[17] Demolition of buildings in the right-of-way began as well in September. A woodcraft building formerly known as Adelung's Hotel, near the station depot, would be a victim of the widening as well, much to the dismany of local residents. Demolition was underway by September 25.[18]

On April 20, 1981, the borough of Wood-Ridge announced that the station agent at Wood-Ridge would be eliminated on July 1. New Jersey Transit told the municipality that the decision was made to help the agency reduce a $80 million deficit they were facing. The elimination would be tied with a 50 percent raise in railroad and bus fares.[7]

In September 1997, New Jersey Transit received $185,000 to upgrade and rehabilitate the station depot at Wood-Ridge. As part of the funding, the station would get a newly-heated waiting room with fresh benches and restrooms. The single side platform would be repaved entirely and the parking lot would receive new lighting. NJ Transit noted that the station depot had fallen into massive disrepair for the ten years it had sat unused. The roof was leaking for at least several years, the tiles were grimed over and a graffiti artist had made themselves present. A lot of stenches from water and broken toilets were present in the building. New Jersey Transit noted that Wood-Ridge station saw a drop in ridership, believed to be partly due to the closed station building.[11] The rehabilitated station depot opened to commuters on November 14, 1997, with local politicians on site to greet commuters.[19]

Until 2016, the Wood-Ridge station was the only one to serve the town. This changed when the Wesmont station serving the Bergen County Line opened near Wood-Ridge's border with Wallington.

Station layout

The station has one track and one low-level side platform.

Bibliography
  • Jones, Wilson E. (1996). The Pascack Valley Line - A History of the New Jersey and New York Railroad. East Hanover, New Jersey: Railroadians of America. ISBN 0-941652-14-9.
  • New Jersey State Board of Taxes and Assessment (1924). Eighth Annual Report of the New Jersey State Board of Taxes and Assessment for the Year Ending June 30, 1923. Trenton, New Jersey: MacCrellish & Quigley.
  • Yanosey, Robert J. (2006). Erie Railroad Facilities (In Color). Vol. 1. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books Inc. pp. 100–101. ISBN 1-58248-183-0.

References
  1. "List of Station Names and Numbers". Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  2. "Pascack Valley Line Timetables" (PDF). Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. November 7, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  3. Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1861" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. p. 6. Retrieved November 19, 2022. Jan. 21, 1861 – Hackensack & New York Railroad begins operating into the Jersey City Terminal of the New Jersey Railroad; 6'-0" gauge track extended in station.
  4. "Railroad Miscellany". The Railroad Record. Cincinnati, Ohio: 567. January 17, 1861. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  5. Jones 1996.
  6. Yanosey 2006, p. 82.
  7. "Ticket Sales at Wood-Ridge Station to End". The Bergen Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. April 21, 1981. p. B4. Retrieved February 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. Kiefer, Eric. "Here Are New Jersey Transit's Most, Least-Used Train Stations". patch.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. New Jersey State Board of Taxes and Assessment 1924, p. 515.
  10. "State Receives $2.5-Million Bid on Route 17". The Paterson Morning Call. July 26, 1987. p. 23. Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  11. Gilbert, Pat L. (September 23, 1997). "Comfort Station". The Bergen Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. pp. L1, L8. Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  12. Flynn, Edward J. "Station Closing Scored". The Bergen Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. A11. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  13. "Stations of Erie to be Merged". The Bergen Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. May 24, 1967. p. A19. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  14. "Route 17 to be Reconstructed". The Paterson Morning Call. June 30, 1967. p. 9. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  15. "State to Get Bids July 27 on First Phase of Rt. 17 Widening Project". The Herald-News. Passaic, New Jersey. July 10, 1967. p. 18. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  16. "State Issues Contract for Work on Route 17". The Ridgewood Herald-News. August 3, 1967. p. 25. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  17. "Route 17 Widening Job is Now Underway". The Ridgewood Herald-News. September 7, 1967. p. 15. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  18. Atwater, Sandra (September 26, 1967). "Historic Buildings to Bow Out". The Bergen Record. p. C1. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  19. Goodnight, Lisa (November 15, 1997). "Wood-Ridge Station Open". The Bergen Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. A4. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
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