Millburn Avenue between Lackawanna Place and Holmes Street will permanently shift to a two-lane road with parallel parking occupying what used to be the third travel lane, the Township of Millburn announced Thursday, Aug. 6.
The decision caps a months-long pilot program that tested multiple parking configurations on the downtown corridor, starting with angled parking in spring 2026, then reverse-angle parking in June, before reverting to parallel parking with a temporary pedestrian bump-out on July 1.
The roadway will now carry two travel lanes, with parallel spaces shifted into the former third lane.
The pilot grew out of concerns raised at a Feb. 9 Pedestrian Safety Advisory Board meeting. Township Committeeman Jamie Serruto outlined the proposal's two components: expanding angled parking along Millburn Avenue and improving pedestrian safety with new crosswalks and bump-outs near Whittingham Terrace. Board members noted that drivers tend to speed up after passing Lackawanna Place because the next traffic signal is far away, and that reducing the road from three lanes to two could help calm traffic.
The change matters here. Millburn Avenue is a county road, and the Township Committee passed Resolution 26-104 on April 7 requesting Essex County's permission for the reconfiguration and bump-outs at the Whittingham Terrace crosswalk.
Business Administrator Alex McDonald, who oversaw the pilot, told the Township Committee on June 18 that the program was "nearing completion and would return to parallel parking at the end of June, with future plans to be reviewed to improve pedestrian safety and roadway design."
The project is tied to a $150,000 Main Street New Jersey grant that expires in November 2026, according to Pedestrian Safety Advisory Board meeting minutes.
It remains unclear whether the Township Committee must pass a formal ordinance to codify the permanent layout or whether the change is already in effect. The next Township Committee meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Millburn Education Center, 434 Millburn Ave. Residents with questions or feedback can email [email protected].
