THE STONES OF ROUTE 208

                                 THE STONES OF ROUTE 208
                                                  BY
                                       JACK GOUDSWARD
  As we travel up and down Route 208 we give little thought of the history that is under our tires. The highway was first conceived as a works Progress Administration Project. The road was then known as S-4-B. Construction stopped during the war and the road was finished in the early 1960’s. Over the years the original path has need changed and the road resurfaced numerous times. There are only two remnants of the original construction.  The first is the original alignment that was build before the war. Next are the Stone Guard Rails that run along parts of the north bound lane of the road.
  The guard rails were built in two segments. The largest construction ran from Saddle River Avenue, fair Lawn to Lincoln Avenue, Glen Rock and from Grand View Avenue, Wyckoff to Ramapo Valley Road, Oakland. The total cost of this job was $98,857. The State Highway Department contributed $11,917. The remainder of the cost, all for certified labor from the relief rolls, will be paid by the Federal Government and employ sixty four men.
  The second segment employed forty one men from the labor rolls. The rail construction in this segment ran from Lincoln Avenue to Grandview Avenue in Hawthorne. The total of this construction was $ 2,649. The State Highway Department paid for the materials that were valued at 4246 while the Government paid all wages.  .A spokesman for the State Highway Department stated that the need of the rails was to reduce the hazards condition that traffic might encounter.
  Today with the development along Route 208 many of the walls have been removed. But some still survive today as testimony to a job well done. So next time you are traveling north along Route 208