Traffic light project must get new bids in Marlboro
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

MARLBORO — A new traffic signal is expected to be installed by April at the Union Hill Road entrance to the Cambridge Square shopping center.

The light has been a long time coming.

In January 2005, municipal officials said the new traffic light would be installed by the fall of that year after Home Depot opened in Cambridge Square, which is at the intersection of Route 9 and Union Hill Road.

Under the terms of an agreement, the owners of Home Depot and of Exclusive Plaza, a retail shopping center on Union Hill Road across from Cambridge Square, each contributed $75,000 toward the cost of installing the new traffic signal.

The cost to install the light was estimated at $150,000.

However, Township Engineer Jim Priolo said that money did not cover the cost to redesign the Exclusive Plaza commuter parking lot.

Priolo said Marlboro officials had set aside money for the design of the traffic light and the necessary permits, however, officials had to appropriate money for the balance of the project (the commuter lot redesign).

The funds needed for the commuter lot redesign did not come into play until the 2006 municipal budget was adopted, which Priolo said was this past summer. He noted there was no money in the budget to begin construction on that phase of the project until this year.

The project involves relocating the entrance to the Exclusive Plaza commuter lot so it lines up with the entrance to Cambridge Square where the traffic light will be installed, Priolo said.

The engineer said this may take some time to do, but the township can temporarily relocate the driveway to the Exclusive Plaza lot in order to get the light up by April.

“We’d like to get the light in as quick as possible,” he said.

In addition to installing the traffic signal, Priolo said, the project includes new curbing, sidewalks and a retaining wall in the Exclusive Plaza parking lot, as well as a large bus shelter, new lights and a new ticket booth in the commuter lot.

The project entails overhauling the lot and bringing it up to current standards, he said.

Next summer, employees in the Public Works Department might do landscaping there as well, he added.

Another issue that held up the project was awarding a bid to a firm that would install the traffic light.

Priolo said Marlboro had the project out to bid in the fall, but officials had to reject the bids because the estimates were too high. The township put the specifications out for rebid a few weeks ago with the hope of starting the project in January, he said.

The estimated time of completion, weather permitting, for the installation of the traffic signal only is in April, the engineer said.

Due to the delay of installing the light, several residents have raised concerns with vehicular and pedestrian safety in the area of the shopping centers and commuter lot.

Wayne Kessler said drivers do not yield to pedestrians who are crossing from the bus drop-off at Exclusive Plaza to their cars that are parked in the commuter lots in Cambridge Square and a parking lot near the Union Hill Road park.

Kessler questioned whether anything could be done in the interim to make the intersection safer for pedestrians.

Kessler said he does not believe motorists understand that state law requires them to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. He said people may see the signs telling them they are nearing a crosswalk, but they do not slow down or yield to pedestrians.

“People are playing a game of chicken with the cars,” he said. “The end result will be fantastic. A traffic light will alleviate the problem, but between now and then there has to be something done about this situation.”

According to Marlboro police Sgt. Joseph Lenge, the lines of the Union Hill Road pedestrian crosswalk were repainted and additional signs have been put up in the area.

The signs are on both sides of Union Hill Road and they make drivers aware that a pedestrian crosswalk is ahead, Lenge said. He reminded drivers that state law requires them to yield to anyone who is in a crosswalk.

Lenge said signs that may be placed in a crosswalk to remind drivers they must yield to pedestrians are only permitted on streets with a 25 mph speed limit. Union Hill Road has a 40 mph speed limit.

The sergeant said he will look into additional traffic calming measures, but he is not sure what else the township can do in the interim.

“What we need out there is that light,” Lenge said.

Lenge said he planned to meet with representatives of the engineering and road departments on Dec. 18 to further address the situation. He said police will pay more attention to the area during the morning and evening rush hours.

Upon hearing that, Kessler said the additional police presence should be a help.