Lack of green light frustrates officials

Mayor to meet with DOT, NJ Transit on Inverness, Rt. 9 park-and-ride plans

By sue m. morgan

Staff Writer

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) has put an application on hold that would bring a user-controlled traffic signal to Route 9 and Inverness Drive, Old Bridge officials have confirmed.

Mayor Barbara Cannon, the Old Bridge Commuter Advisory Board and the Township Council have been continuously lobbying to get the traffic signal in order to assist pedestrians attempting to cross six lanes of traffic and a center island on Route 9, particularly during evening rush hours.

"It’s been put on hold," Cannon said in a recent interview. "They’re (the DOT) looking at other alternatives."

In the meantime, plans for a commuter park-and-ride lot near the intersection are proceeding, Cannon said.

The Township Council has awarded a contract to construct the facility, and providing there are no weather-related delays this winter, commuters could be using the long-awaited facility by spring, Cannon said. The park and ride will be constructed on township-owned land.

"It will be a full-service park and ride," Cannon said. "It will be similar to the one at Ernston Road (and Route 9)."

Although the mayor could not indicate the exact capacity of the lot, the plans have called for the lot to hold 200 to 300 cars, she said. The capacity will be determined in part by the amount of wetlands in the area, she added.

Cannon said she anticipates meeting with representatives of both the DOT and NJ Transit within the next few weeks to iron out some of the details pertinent to the construction of the commuter facility. Details such as parking spaces, the number of bus shelter structures to be installed, lighting and a proposed buses-only lane will be discussed at that meeting, Cannon explained.

"Some of those issues will be resolved when we meet with them," Cannon said.

Township officials are also expected to question the DOT about its decision to put the application for the traffic signal on hold indefinitely.

In fact, Ward 4 Councilman G. Kevin Calogera has said he would gladly welcome a visit from Jamie Fox, the state’s transportation commissioner, so that he could view firsthand the situation officials are concerned about.

"I invite Jamie Fox to come down here and meet with me," Calogera said. "He can see the problem for himself."

In March, Calogera, whose constituency includes the Inverness Drive area, reportedly spent about 35 minutes accompanying pedestrians as they crossed back and forth across Route 9 during rush hour. The intersection is located approximately halfway between the state highway’s intersections with Ferry Road and Cindy Street. Those intersections, located about a half-mile apart, are controlled by standard traffic-control devices.

During his walks across Route 9 that night, Calogera said he discovered the strategy used by some commuters crossing the highway after getting off NJ Transit buses at Inverness Drive.

"They time it with the people making a right turn from Ferry (Road) and a left turn from Cindy (Street)," Calogera said.

The councilman expressed frustration with the DOT’s delay.

"It’s very irresponsible on their part," Calogera said. "The state DOT is not dealing with the problem properly."

"They should rethink this," the councilman added. "They show total disregard for the public’s safety."

Cannon, meanwhile, expressed some hope that the DOT might still consider installing the traffic signal.

"It’s still up in the air," she said.

The signal, as requested by officials and commuters, would remain green except when pedestrians push a button mounted on a pole. The signal would then turn red for approximately 60 seconds, allowing pedestrians to cross the six lanes on Route 9.

The application presented to the DOT by the township calls for the device to be located approximately 100 feet north of the Ferry Road intersection on the southbound side, and 100 feet south of the Cindy Street intersection on the northbound side.

After hearing stories from commuters about the dangers of crossing the highway, particularly in the dark and during inclement weather, the Township Council passed a resolution supporting the traffic-control device in March.

At present, commuters park their vehicles on both sides of Inverness Drive, an entry point to the existing Oakwoode and Spring Knolls developments.

With the recent Planning Board approval of K. Hovnanian’s application to complete the second phase of the Oakwoode development, the township will eventually receive $250,000 toward the construction of the park-and-ride facility. The funding is to be given to Old Bridge after the first 50 certificates of occupancy are issued for the planned 386-home development, Cannon said.

Only residents who can show proof of residency in the township will be allowed to use the new facility, the mayor said. Monthly permits will be sold for $25 at the municipal complex after the facility opens, she added.

In addition, lot users will pay $1 daily to park in the lot. Those fees would be used to pay for maintenance and snow plowing at the facility, Cannon said.

The township purchased the land from the Kaplan Organization, the builder of the existing Oakwoode and Spring Knolls developments. The land in question once housed a sales trailer for the developer, Cannon said.

Hovnanian has since taken over Kaplan’s interests in completing the second part of the Oakwoode development between Spring Valley and Trans-Old Bridge roads. As part of a legal agreement reached with the township and in accordance with the Planning Board’s approval of its application earlier this month, Hovnanian will finish outstanding road and home construction projects in the existing Oakwoode and Spring Knolls developments.