Community Corner
What's Up With That Big Hole at the End of Park Avenue?
The state Department of Transportation says it's part of a Route 22 construction project.
Several readers have asked why a large hole has been dug into the ground at the end of Park Avenue, near Route-22, in Scotch Plains.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation tells Patch that it is performing an archaeological dig at Route 22 and Bonnie Burn Road in preparation for the Route 22/Bonnie Burn Road construction project.
The Route 22/Bonnie Burn Road intersection improvement project, which starts in early 2010, involves widening the intersection of Bonnie Burn Road and New Providence Road, adding turn lanes and a new signal at Park Avenue and Sunset Place, and widening the Park Avenue approach to Route 22.
The dig started July 15 and will last until the first week in October.
NJDOT Spokeswoman Erin Phalon says that archaeological digs are not routine for projects like this, but because The Stites Farmstead is located nearby, the dig will be conducted to focus on both prehistoric and historic items regarding regional and local prehistoric occupation, resource exploitation, evidence of trade and trade networks, the nature of historic agricultural activities, consumer behavior, class and status, foodways, slavery, and structural furnishings. The Stites Farmstead was recommended as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
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