DOT agrees to put light at congested intersection

Crossing at Pond

and E. Freehold rds.

to see improvements

BY MARK ROSMAN

Staff Writer

One of Freehold Town-ship’s most notorious traffic bottlenecks will be fixed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT).

State Assemblymen Michael J. Panter and Robert L. Morgan (both D-Monmouth and Mercer) announced that within three years, the DOT will install a traffic light at the intersection of East Freehold and Pond roads.

“They can’t do it soon enough,” Mayor David Salkin said upon hearing the news. “We’ve been begging for a light for 10 years. That’s probably the worst intersection in Freehold Township, yet it wasn’t the one that the DOT chose to do first. We settled for a ‘Don’t Block the Box’ sign at the intersection and that was a major effort.”

Panter acknowledged that “this is an issue that has been affecting Freehold Township and Manalapan residents for at least 10 years. As Freehold and the surrounding towns have grown, the congestion in the area has worsened, leading to an unacceptable safety hazard.”

“Between 2001 and 2003, there were 60 accidents at the intersection of East Freehold and Pond roads,” said Morgan. “Twenty-one of those accidents resulted in injuries. It’s obviously time to make some changes there.”

The assemblymen said that as a result of their work with the Township Committee and the Freehold Neighborhood Alliance, the DOT has agreed to move ahead with the preferred traffic safety solution for the East Freehold Road/Pond Road area located just off Route 9.

They said residents have been requesting a traffic light at East Freehold Road and Pond Road for a number of years, but because of the intersection’s proximity to other traffic lights, DOT was unable to approve the change. Through a series of meetings with all of the parties involved, Panter and Morgan said they were able to show DOT that the extraordinary circumstances in this area necessitate a traffic light.

DOT has agreed to complete an overhaul of the area, including the installation of a traffic light at that intersection, within three years. The department will also make changes to the intersection that will make the flow of traffic safer, especially as northbound vehicles turn to cross Route 9 onto Craig Road.

According to the assemblymen, East Freehold Road will be widened in certain areas on both sides as it leads west to Route 9 to increase the intersection’s capacity. DOT will also add new lanes on Route 9 (north and south) to alleviate traffic on the Manalapan-Freehold Township border.

“We will continue to explore whether the traffic light plan can be accelerated,” said Panter. “The safety hazard there is ongoing and really does need to be addressed as soon as possible. But we’re thankful to DOT Commissioner Jack Lettiere for working with us and with the community on this issue.”

“We’re glad to see that DOT has chosen the plan that the residents of Freehold Township wanted,” said Morgan. “We believe it is the best solution; it will alleviate some of the traffic on Pond Road and hopefully prevent people from making that dangerous left turn onto East Freehold Road.”

The plan will also include controlled pedestrian access at the Pond Road/East Freehold Road intersection.

“It’s no secret that Route 9 is one of the most congested corridors in the state,” said Morgan. “Obviously a great deal of that traffic makes its way onto local roads. It’s important that we make sure those roads are updated as development continues and traffic increases.”

“Without the consensus and support of the Freehold Neighborhood Alliance and the Township Committee, particularly Dorothy Avallone, it would have been a lot more difficult to get this response from the Department of Transportation,” said Panter. “Everyone did a wonderful job coming together to accomplish this.”

Informed of the DOT’s decision to install a light at the intersection, Apryl Basile, the chairman of the Freehold Neighborhood Alliance, said, “This is an example of the positive results achieved when we work together. We’re all grateful to assemblymen Panter and Morgan for their dedicated efforts in accomplishing this on our behalf. This light is the first step toward making that intersection safer for all who traverse through it. We, like the assemblymen, hope the light can be accelerated to improve the safety and maintain the quality of life for residents in our community.”