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NJ to improve safety at 10 dangerous intersections

By: Colleen Wilson
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Technology investments are coming to 10 notorious intersections throughout the state this year, [2025] Governor Phil Murphy promised in his seventh State pf the State address, delivered Tuesday. [01/14/2025]
..... The announcement came on the heels of a bill Murphy signed into lawmaker in the week that will establish a first-in-the-nation multi agency commission to bring an end to traffic fatalities by 2040. New Jersey has experienced some of the worst rates of traffic fatalities in recent years, with pedestrian deaths reaching a 36-year high last year. [2024]
..... "These are not simply statistics, these are tragedies that no family will ever truly recover from," Murphy said at and the families of those who died from car crashes praised the new law and the state's commitment to safer streets.
..... Here are the 10 intersections that will be targeted for improvement:
* Route 129 and Lalor Street in Trenton (Mercer County)
* Route 129 and Cass Street in Trenton (Mercer County).
* Route 1 and North Avenue in Elizabeth (Union County).
* Route 1 and East Jersey Street in Elizabeth (Union county).
* Route 1 and East Grand Street in Elizabeth (Union County).
* U.S. 9 and Ferry Road in Old Bridge (Middlesex County).
* U.S. 9 and Spring Valley Road in Old Bridge (Middlesex County).
* N.J. -27 and Franklin Boulevard in Franklin (Somerset County).
* N.J/-27 and Irving Street in Franklin (Somerset County),
* N.J.-27 and Hagel Avenue in Roselle (Union county).
..... Several of these intersections have long been known to the state Transport oration Department for their dangerous conditions. Route 129 in Trenton and Routes 1 & 9 in Elizabeth are the two most dangerous places in the state for pedestrians, and both have received technology upgrades or a commitment for those investments.
..... At the intersections of the roughly 2-mile stretch of Route 129 in Trenton, there were seven pedestrian fatalities between 2019 and 2023. Along a 2-mile stretch of Rotes 1 & 9 in Elizabeth, 11 pedestrians and 1 cyclist were killed plus five drivers and a passenger, during the same time period.
..... In 2022, the state Transportation Department announced new projects on Route 129 to upgrade traffic signals that made then more visible, added time to the crosswalk settings, and included a new technology that detects a speeding vehicle at the intersection and turns the signal red.
..... The department announced similar upgrades last month [12/2024] for three intersections on Routes 1 & 9 in Elizabeth, and the intersections in Old Bridge, Franklin and Roselle will receive the same improvements this year. [2025] Each intersection project is expected to cost $100,000, said department spokesman Steve Schapiro, and the agency is still determining how they will be funded.
..... Corey Hannigan, the active transportation program manager at Tri-State Transportation Campaign, an advocacy group, said he is "heartened" that the Murphy administration has made ending traffic fatalities a priority.
..... "It's a win that they are taking this place-based approach," Hannigan said, adding that he hopes future projects and the work of the commission will go "beyond just improving signals but looking at the actual infrastructure, the distances pedestrians have to cross and other factors."
..... Nearly all of the 10 intersections identified by the Murphy administration are multiple intersections along one stretch of state highway that divides a neighborhood, which suggests vides a neighborhood, which suggests that the problem is not isolated to the intersections but a problem with the way the roods are designed.
..... Route 129 in Trenton, Routes 1 & 9 in Elizabeth, U.S. 9 in Old Bridge and Route27 in Franklin are anywhere form four to nine lanes of traffic. They are large open corridors that invite speed and don't adequately share space with other road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists.
..... A large-scale project to change the entire design of Route 129 is underway at the Transportation Department, Schapiriro said. Focus will be a 1.4-mile stretch that passes through the Cass Street, Lalor Street and Hamilton Avenue intersections. To slow traffic coming from Route 29/195, rumble strips, advance warning lighting and pavement markings will be added, plus significant infrastructure changes, including:
* The Route 29/I-195 ramp to Route 129 north will be reduced form two to one, which will be made into a shoulder than can be sued for vehicle traffic during peak travel times.
* A two-way pedestrian and cyclist path will be added on the northbound side of the road.
* Shoulders will be added to both directions of traffic.
* Lanes will curve at the intersections to slow traffic.
* Sidewalks will be bumped out so pedestrians will have shorter walk distances and be more visible, and medians for waiting pedestrians will be larger.
* Turning lanes will be added.
..... Schapiro said the "goal is to reduce vehicle speeds and improve pedestrian and vehicle safety through the corridor and at three signalized intersections along Route 129," improvements he said are aimed at making this corridor safer for all users.
..... There is no cost estimate yet for the project, which will enter the engineering phase this summer [2025] or early fall. Construction is expected to begin in 2029, Schapiro said.
..... Hannigan, who helped legislators draft the Target Zero commission law, praised the Department of transportation for the drastic changes it is planning for Route 129, and is hopeful this kind of comprehensive approach can be replicated at other troublesome corridors.
..... Traffic signal improvement and other technology upgrades, he said, are a "stopgap; it;s something he said, are a done quickly and will have an impact on safety, but the fundamental issue is the long crossing in the first place that we're making pedestrians cross all these lanes."
..... This approach has already been successful in several New Jersey communities, such as Hoboken where there hasn't been a pedestrian death in about eight years. As part of tis Vision Zero commitment and plan, Hoboken redesigned many of its streets so there aren't parking spots blocking the visibility of crosswalks. It changes 14 intersections to multi-way stops, extended curbs to improve pedestrian visibility and ensure slow turning vehicles, lowered speed limits in school zones, widened sidewalks and added protected bike lanes.
..... By bringing together a variety of state agencies on the Target Zero commission - which is charged with issuing its first annual report before the end of the year and holding at least two annual public hearings with the public during the draft phase of that report - Hannigan said the state should get on track to end the :epidemic" of traffic fatalities.
..... "It's really a holistic approach, it's going to look at every facet, because this is a health crisis right now," Hannigan said. "We're going to have to many different departments with their won expertise talking about this."
..... "One hope I have for the Target Zone commission is if its recommendation might lead to a more open process for DOT capital projects so that more of the public can hear these details and share input and feedback on them earlier on in the timeline," Hannigan said.

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