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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds residents that the New Jersey State Department of Transportation (DOT) will commence major work on the Route 1&9 Pulaski Skyway starting on April 12. Although the Skyway is not located within Union County, the project is expected to affect traffic patterns throughout the region.

The project will require the closure of all northbound lanes for approximately two years in order to rehabilitate the bridge deck.

“We have been working with DOT to keep Union County commuters informed on their travel options, and we will continue to provide updates from DOT and NJ TRANSIT as more details become available,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.

Complete details on the Skyway project and transit options, including help with carpooling, are available from DOT at pulaskiskyway.com.

One new option available to Union County commuters is the new NJ TRANSIT bus route No. 95, sponsored by DOT in support of the Pulaski Skyway project.

Beginning on March 3, bus No. 95 will operate between the new Park-and-Ride in the Sears parking lot on Route 22 in Watchung to the Market Street Bus Lane at Newark Penn Station, making stops in Union County.

“I have asked DOT to meet with Union County residents and seek ways to mitigate the effect that the Pulaski Skyway closing will have on their daily commutes,” said Freeholder Sergio Granados, who is liaison to the Union County Transportation Advisory Board. “We all need to work together to help smooth travel in our region during this disruptive period.”

Bus No. 95 will serve existing bus stops along Route 22 and through Springfield and Union, then travel express via Route 22 and Route 22 to Newark.

It will operate on weekdays, with inbound Watchung-to-Newark service only during the morning. There will be eight trips at half-hour intervals from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

In the evening, No. 95 will operate outbound Newark-to-Watchung service weekdays only from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., also with eight trips at half-hour intervals.

Complete information on the new bus No. 95 is available at the NJ TRANSIT travel alert page.

Links to all regional transit are available on the Union County website at ConneXions,ucnj.org/connect. A direct link to the DOT Pulaski Skyway website is also conveniently located on the Union County home page, ucnj.org (click on the Pulaski Skyway icon).

For more information on the new bus No. 95 call NJ TRANSIT Customer Service at (973) 275-5555 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders advises residents to be on the alert for a new telephone and email scams that have surfaced in Union County and across the country.

In the telephone scam, residents receive a call demanding immediate payment on a utility bill, and threatening to cut off service if payment is not made.

Another scam involves email messages masquerading as third-party utility companies. Opening the email can expose the computer to a virus.

“These scammers are taking advantage of the cold weather to prey on anxiety over utility service cut-off,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “If you receive any unexpected message from a utility company, whether it’s by phone, email or standard mail, be sure to call them yourself to ensure that it’s a legitimate communication.”

Currently the telephone scam is focused on PSEG. Customers of that utility should call 800-436-PSEG (7734) to verify any unexpected messages.

Other gas and electric utilities serving customers in Union County are JCP&L and Elizabethtown Gas.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County, NJ – On Monday, March  3, commuter history will be made in Union County as NJ TRANSIT begins offering its first ever “one-seat” direct rail service to Penn Station in New York City on the Raritan Valley Line, which includes the Union County municipalities Plainfield, Fanwood, Westfield, Garwood, Cranford, Roselle Park and Union.

“One-seat service represents a significant improvement for commuters and for all of Union County,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “Our future goes hand in hand with mass transit, which is instrumental in economic development and quality of life as well as environmental and public health.”

The Raritan Valley Line previously required all passengers to disembark from a diesel train in Newark and continue to New York in an electric train.

“When I took office as Freeholder Chair this year, I pledged that the Freeholder Board would work hard to support this much-anticipated service,” said Hudak. “I would like to thank NJ TRANSIT and the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition for ensuring that the vision has become a reality.”

The one-seat service was made possible by the purchase of new dual-mode locomotives by NJ Transit. The new locomotives can switch from diesel to electric power as required.

The service is currently a limited pilot project. It is available only on weekdays, during midday hours. Rush hour, evening, and weekend one-seat service is not available at this time.

There will be no change in the price of a ticket.

For a complete, printable version of the full NJ TRANSIT Raritan Valley Line schedule visitnjtransit.com. The one-seat rides are highlighted in bold frames on the schedule.

Printed schedules will be available from NJ TRANSIT when the one-seat service begins.

For convenient links to all forms of transit information in Union County including auto, bus, air, rail, and bike paths, visit Union County ConneXions at ucnj.org.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invites adults, 18 and older, to a program about “Life in Space” being offered at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. The lecture, supplemented with visual material, will take place on Saturday, March 8, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. The program is free, but donations are welcome.

“This is a lecture you won’t want to miss,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak.  “It answers the questions all of us have posed about living in outer space.”

Harold Kozak, a NASA Solar System Ambassador and Astronomy Adjunct Professor at Wagner College, will shed light on the intriguing topic of living in space. His lecture will focus on whether humans will eventually have to live in space and how they will survive the conditions.

Professor Kozak will discuss and illustrate how humans will become able to travel in space for extended periods of time; methods that will be used to find other habitable worlds; and current living conditions on the International Space Station. He also will talk about how humans in the future will travel to far-off worlds and the ways in which humans will “terraform” the landscapes of other planets.

For additional information about this lecture or other adult programs and upcoming events at Trailside, call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside to view a complete winter brochure. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road (at Coles Avenue) in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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CRANFORD, NJ – Do you like working with artists, teachers and students? The Union County Teen Arts Festival provides an opportunity for volunteers to get involved.

The Union County Teen Arts Festival, sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in the Department of Parks and Recreation, is a two-day celebration of the arts held annually at Union County College in Cranford. The event, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, March 20 and 21, is open to all students from public, charter, private and parochial middle and high schools in Union County.

“Nearly 3,500 students participate in performances, critiquing seminars, master classes and workshops with a staff of 55 professional artists in every discipline – visual art, music, creative writing, theater and dance,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “Volunteers are needed to assist artists with workshops, manage performance sites and staff information stations. We appreciate the invaluable assistance of our county residents with this exciting program.”

If you are interested in any of these activities, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07202. Telephone: 908-558-2550; NJ Relay Users call 711. Or e-mail us at: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

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MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to offer a “Project WILD/Aquatic WILD” teacher-training workshop for non-formal educators and teachers of K-12 at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Thursday, March 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Project WILD and Aquatic WILD are wildlife-focused conservation education programs with hands-on activities designed for integration into existing courses of study for formal and non-formal educators, K through 12. Based on the premise that young people and educators alike have an interest in learning about our natural world, this program underscores wildlife’s intrinsic value, and addresses the need for us all to be responsible stewards of our planet.

“Teaching about water conservation is of critical importance today,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “Trailside offers a perfect opportunity for teachers to learn the modules to educate their students.”

Pre-registration is preferred. Space is limited. The fee for the program is $20. Walk-ins are welcome as space permits. Participants will receive the Project WILD and Aquatic WILD K-12 curriculums and activity guides, and they will earn six NJDOE credits for the workshop. Light morning refreshments are provided. Please bring your lunch.

For additional information about this event or other upcoming programs and special events at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit us on the web in Trailside’s winter brochure atwww.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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(From left) Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Mohamed Jalloh, Freeholder Vernell Wright, Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak and Freeholder Sergio Granados (R) present a resolution to guest speaker Dr. Marion Lane (C) and Ethel Washington of the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs proclaiming February 2014 Black History Month during a speaking event at the First Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth. They are joined by Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (2nd R). Dr. Lane delivered a lecture entitled “American’s Forgotten African American Patriots in the American Revolution.”  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)