The Arnone Report: Keeping our roads safe and affordable
By Freeholder Tom Arnone
Freeholder Tom Arone
TRAFFIC SIGNALS are of great significance in that they help to control the flow of traffic as well as helping to ensure the safety of our residents. Recently, there was a traffic signal activation ceremony held on the corner of Locust Avenue and Parker Roadin the Borough of West Long Branch. This project came about as a result of Mayor Tucci requesting that the County study this intersection to allow better traffic flow from Parker Road onto County Route 15 (Locust Avenue) and to improve safety and access for the Frank Antonides Middle School and the West Long Branch Community Center. Based on the County’s study our in-house County engineers designed this state of the art traffic signal which has dedicated turn lanes, improved crosswalks and push-button control pedestrian signals. The traffic signal uses LED lights that costs less to operate and is eco-friendly.
In addition, The Board of Chosen Freeholders will be awarding the construction of intersection improvements at County Route 40A (Memorial Drive) and Evergreen Avenue, in the Boroughs of Neptune City and Bradley Beach to lowest bidder Green Construction, Inc. from South River. These improvements consist of minor realignment of the intersection, an installation of a new traffic signal and railroad warning devices. This intersection has been identified by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority as a location with excessive frequency of right angle crashes which are correctable by the installation of a traffic signal. I am very pleased that this very much needed safety improvement project will be awarded, and construction of the improvements will commence shortly. I am particularly pleased to see this coming to fruition as it is a project I began working on while serving my time as Mayor of Neptune City along with the great Freeholder Board at that time. Since then, and now serving as a Freeholder on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, I have had the good fortune of being able to continue to work on this project with the current Neptune City Mayor, Robert Brown and the Council. Additionally, I have received the full support and cooperation from my fellow Freeholders on this project. Being able to be part of this project from the start of its inception through its completion has been a rewarding experience for me, as this is something I have worked very hard on getting done to help ensure the safety of our residents.
Lastly, The Board of Chosen Freeholders just approved a $500,000.00 grant application to the NJDOT for a Foamed Asphalt Cold-In-Place Recycling pilot project at a location to be determined in the County of Monmouth. I received a letter from Cherry, Weber & Associates, PC regarding the consultant’s prior use and successful completion of a project for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission using this Foamed asphalt technology at the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge. I reached out to Honorable David M. DelVecchio, Mayor of Labertville to discuss this project. Based on his recommendation I asked our Engineering Division to evaluate its potential use on Monmouth County roads. Foamed Asphalt Cold-In-Place Recycling is a “Green” technology that incorporates the reuse of the existing asphalt pavement when we reconstruct our County roads. Recycling and reusing the existing asphalt materials has many advantages, including the reduction of waste millings which end up at our landfill; significant reductions in construction truck trips on roadways; shorter required durations of work; and significantly lower project costs (approximately 60% less than traditional methods).Although its use is still relatively new to the U.S., this technology has been used successfully in other parts of the country, and is now being investigated for use in New Jersey by the NJDOT.
More from my site
The Arnone Report: Progress on Shark River Dredging and Two River Bike Path- The Arnone Report
- The Arnone Report: Share the roads with cyclists and pedestrians
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Reminder: Oceanic Bridge Closes May 26- The Arnone Report: Over the rivers and into the parks
- The Arnone Report: Shared Services Are Keeping Monmouth County Safe And Affordable
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- The Arnone Report
- The Arnone Report
Thank you, government! This intersection was equally dangerous for pedestrians and drivers alike and the cost of the traffic light is minimal compared to the cost in medical bills or auto damage had that intersection continued on without traffic control.
As a future item of business, can you please have the county engineers perform a traffic study/feasibility study to have an entrance/exit ramp to/from Rt 18 directly to Industrial Way West? Traffic currently backs up onto Hope Rd and in-a-hurry-to-get-to-work drivers perform the the most dangerous of maneuvers including passing on the right, left turns from the right lane and illegal u-turns over a double yellow line to try to make the left from Hope Rd onto Industrial Way. A direct entrance/exit from Industrial Way would probably help minimize vehicle and bodily damage in the area as well as make the commercial zone more desirable for businesses looking to make getting to and from their office locations easy for employees and visiting clients.
What is happening with the long delayed widening work on Wycoff Road, south of Shafto Road and the intersection of Route 66.
Work started on this County Road, and then stopped halfway though.
Hope this is going to get back to being finished
“Traffic signal activation ceremony”??
There’s nothing politicians wouldn’t do just to see their face in the papers one more time.
What’s next, “pothole repair celebration”??
Speaking of Wyckoff Rd., Eatontown has been trying for years to get a traffic light installed at the intersection of Broad St./Rt. 71 (which is a State Rd.) and Wyckoff Rd. That is extremely dangerous if you are going east on Wyckoff and want to make a left onto 71 north.
@Chris
I celebrate every time I see a pothole being fixed.
Particularly if the 1 guy working the pot hole is not surrounded by 4 guys leaning on their shovel with 3 other guys with clipboards wandering around talking on their cellphones.