A parking lot to be completed this spring will finalize construction on the long delayed station in Wesmont.
WOOD-RIDGE -- A parking lot at NJ Transit's Wesmont Station is set to open this spring a year after the much-delayed station opened.
Construction crews could be seen working to complete a parking lot at NJ Transit's Wesmont Station. Borough Administrator Chris Eilert said construction on a new 200-plus space parking lot is slated to finish and open by May 1.
The station on the NJ Transit's Bergen Line was originally scheduled to open in 2011 but was delayed after contaminants were found at the site.
The stop was built at a cost of $18 million with nearby Somerset Development picking up $12 million of the tab.
Avalon at Wesmont Station was built by Somerset as a transit-oriented community but the train stop was nowhere near completion when tenants starting moving in 2012. The Wesmont stop opened in May 2016 and since has had 24 parking spots in a temporary lot.
NJ Transit Spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said the finished lot will contain 216 spots for commuters and an additional 28 spots for employees of the nearby Wood-Ridge maintenance facility. The cost of the commuter lot and another lot for NJ Transit vehicles and employees at the nearby facility will total $2.975 million, Snyder said.
Construction crews could be seen breaking ground at the site on Tuesday with heavy equipment.
Last year, NBC reported that the station had low ridership due to its location. Currently, commuters have to traverse around construction to find a narrow path at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Johnson Drive.
Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.