12th District Legislators Cheer Improved Light Timing at Rt. 34 and Rt. 537
12th District legislators Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande today hailed improvements made by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to the timing of the stoplights at State Highway 34 and County Route 537 in Colts Neck.
“There are big issues facing our state, but there are also a bunch of little ones which affect people’s lives on a daily basis, and this was one of them”, said O’Scanlon. “People traveling on Route 537 were waiting up to 15 minutes just to cross Route 34. Drivers unwilling to wait for the light were diverting to secondary roads, often speeding through residential areas. Our office, working with the DOT and local officials, identified the source of the problem and addressed it, cutting the wait time at the light from almost 15 minutes to less than 5. That’s less gas wasted while cars idle, less pollution from exhaust fumes, and most importantly more time and less aggravation in people’s lives. It may not solve the larger need to widen the intersection, but at least in the short term it helps..”
O’Scanlon, a longtime member of the Governors Highway Safety Policy Advisory council, said that part of the problem was that roadway loops, which detect traffic and adjust timing of the traffic signals accordingly, had been severed when Rt. 537 was re-paved. Adjustments were also made to reflect the volume of traffic traveling on the county road during rush hour.
Assemblywoman Casagrande, a Colts Neck resident who lives on one of the secondary roads off of Rt. 537, said she had detected a difference already. “There are a lot less cars zooming by my house every morning and every night; it’s noticeable. I can get out of my driveway without having to worry about an angry driver running me over. Talking to my neighbors, I know that the wait at the light and the traffic diverting through our neighborhoods were a major nuisance. I’m sure all Colts Neck residents are going to be thrilled that we were able to get this done.”
Beck said her office has been working with local, county and state officials on eventually widening the intersection.
“County officials have called the intersection of Rt. 34 and Rt. 537 their highest priority in the county. In the past 15 years, Rt. 537 has gone from a sleepy county road to the major east west artery in the county. I am happy that we were able to give drivers who use Rt. 537 some immediate relief by addressing the timing of the traffic signals. However, we will continue to work with local, county and state officials to modernize this intersection and make it reflective of the volume of traffic it handles.”
Colts Neck Mayor Thomas Hennessey echoed Beck’s comments, saying “this intersection is important for the county and the township and we will continue to work with our 12th District legislators on a long term solution to the issues surrounding it. In the interim, we are thankful to our state representatives for coming up with a solution which will immediately benefit drivers looking to cross the county.
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