As South Orange and Maplewood students headed back to school, the morning commute for everyone in the towns is facing the additional challenge of temporary road closures by New Jersey American Water in Maplewood, as well as a new circulation plan for drop-off at Columbia High School.
The South Orange-Maplewood School District warned of potential issues on its website and said the street closures have been a contributing factor regarding chronically late buses this week.
The closure of Prospect Street in Maplewood on Tuesday, Sept. 2 — the first day of school — was due to ongoing lead pipe replacement work by NJ American Water. Mayor Nancy Adams said that “Administration and Engineering is working with NJAW to ensure they don’t close the street during school hours. On Tuesday, they started their work (closed the street on the northbound side) after drop-off but were still there during pickup.”
A detour sign on Summit Avenue in Maplewood. Sept. 3, 2025.
Maplewood Township Engineer Paul Kittner further explained, “The Township and New Jersey American Water worked together to limit NJAW crews to areas that were least impactful to school operations during the first week of school. The Township was not made aware that NJAW planned to work on Prospect Street near the Parker Avenue intersection and it appears that NJAW did not fully understand their impact on the CHS circulation plan. At the Township’s request, NJAW removed their crews from this area effective Wednesday, and has agreed to keep crews off of Prospect Street near CHS while we evaluate the circulation plan, which may take up to six weeks or more.”
The road closures go beyond impacting Columbia High School however.
CHS’s first bell is at 7:55 a.m. — with students expected to arrive between 7:40 and 7:50 a.m., but the District’s elementary students have staggered opening times and utilize crosstown bus routes. Other roads closures have been popping up around town as well. For example, Tuscan near Rutgers was closed at round 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 4 — as families made their way to Seth Boyden School.
Traffic cones blocking access to Prospect from Madison Avenue on Sept. 3, 2025.
Unfortunately, the NJAW lead and galvanized steel pipe replacement may continue to require temporary road closures through “early next year,” said Kittner. NJAW reported that the replacement program is essential to ensure safe water quality as required by a law passed in New Jersey in 2021.
“We appreciate our residents’ patience while NJAW completes these critical upgrades,” said Kittner.
Building extra time into morning commutes and following road closures through Maplewood Police nixle alerts could help those commuting by car.
Read more about the CHS circulation/drop-off plan here: https://www.maplewoodnj.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1199/15#!/.
Read more about the NJAW service line replacement program can be found here – https://www.maplewoodnj.gov/residents/new-jersey-american-water-maplewood-lead-service-line-replacement-program.
