Business Owners: Construction Meant To Improve Downtown Millburn Is Doing The Opposite

MILLBURN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A heated battle is taking place in New Jersey over a construction project that's supposed to improve downtown Millburn.

As CBS2'S Ali Bauman said, businesses claim it's doing the opposite, and putting lives in danger.

Droneforce2 was soaring over downtown on Millburn Avenue Thursday afternoon, where lately the main drag has been looking more like a driver's ed test.

"We're a family business, this is really ruining our family," Michelle Ruccio said.

Town construction started in spring near Main Street. Its goal -- to attract downtown foot traffic and make it safer for pedestrians by narrowing roads and adding parallel parking.

"By narrowing distance pedestrians actually are in the road, you're by nature make it more safe," Deputy Mayor Ted Bourke said.

In a lawsuit against the town filed this week, local business owners said it's doing just the opposite.

"If you neck it down too much, the traffic isn't going to get through and the pedestrians are going to have a false sense of security," Cary Heller said.

With thinner roads, trucks and SUVs are forced to veer into adjacent lanes to turn. Heller said last week, a bus was stuck trying to turn into an intersection for more than an hour.

The lawsuit claims new concrete for parallel parking spots makes it unclear where the sidewalk ends and the road begins. CBS2's cameras caught a delivery truck trying to pull out of the parallel parking lane that it's too wide for.

"He's now going to pull into one lane and now the car coming on from the left lane, you can see you've stopped traffic in both lanes because you've narrowed the streets so much," Heller said.

Deputy Mayor Bourke said he was unable to comment on the safety concerns.

"I'm aware that is probably in the pending lawsuit, but I'd love to answer how I can do that, but can't at this point," he said.

If it's too late to stop construction here, the business owners want the town to pause and re-evaluate before starting the next phase that would continue construction another half mile up the avenue.

"People used to grab their pizza, run in, run out, we lost so much business that nobody's coming down this way anymore," Ruccio said.

Businesses in the heart of the construction said dangerous road conditions have already done the damage.

The deputy mayor said the project is modeled after construction projects in neighboring towns that have been successful in attracting pedestrians.