Project's completion signals safer future Collaborative effort between boro, businesses yields traffic light BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer PHOTOS BY STEVEN M. BARON A car sits at the stop sign where Westminster Boulevard meets Ernston Road in Sayreville, near Old Bridge's border. The traffic light recently installed at the intersection is the result of a collaborative effort by the borough of Sayreville and surrounding businesses. The light may become operational as early as next week. SAYREVILLE - It is hoped that a long-sought traffic light will improve safety at the scene of almost 100 accidents over a three-year period. The intersection of Ernston Road and Westminster Boulevard has been a treacherous location for motorists, but getting a traffic light there was no easy feat and took a combined effort on the part of borough officials, business owners and residents. Sayreville Police Sgt. John Bartlinski told the Suburban that the intersection, which is near Old Bridge's border, saw 94 collisions during a study the traffic bureau conducted between 2000 and 2002. "It was our highest accident site in the town," Bartlinski said. "We recommended that something be done." Borough officials began discussing the problem in early 2003, initially deciding to install a concrete divider down the center of Ernston Road to prevent motorists from crossing the intersection to get to the various businesses in the area. After business owners objected, the plan was scrapped in favor of the more expensive traffic light idea. The owners of the Mini Mall and Quick Chek, both located on the Sayreville side, and the Pathmark in Old Bridge joined the borough in an agreement to share the cost of installing the traffic light. Old Bridge Township did not contribute. The businesses paid approximately $100,000 each for a total of $300,000 to pay the contractor for the work, according to Borough Engineer Jay Cornell. The borough meanwhile paid CME Engineering less than $50,000 to prepare plans and get permits from the state as part of the joint agreement. Borough Business Administrator Jeff Bertrand said there are a variety of circumstances that contribute to the number of accidents at Westminster Boulevard and Ernston Road, including the lack of turning lanes. "It is the most accident-prone area in the borough," Bertrand said, "and the nature of the accidents is [that they] have not been fender-benders. They have been T-bone, with one car plowing into the side of another. In one, a car flipped." Another issue was the offset of the driveway entrance to the Mini Mall, which the owner agreed to have realigned as part of the current construction project, Bertrand said. The contractor began work on the signal this summer, and Jersey Central Power & Light will likely have the light operational next week, Cornell said. "It is not done at this point," Cornell said last week. "They are working on doing the installation by the end of [next] week. ... It will be complete with the exception of the road-widening." CME completed surveying and design for the project earlier this year, and Cornell said the wait for the state to issue a permit delayed the project for close to a year. "The application was submitted to the state in the summer of 2005," Cornell said. "The permit was not received until spring 2006." Borough Council President Thomas Pollando has been advocating for corrective action at the intersection for several years. "The reason why I was so persistent was because I live down Ernston Road and I have seen so many accidents there. It is one of the most dangerous intersections in New Jersey. Traffic is coming from four different directions," Pollando said. Pollando thanked the three businesses for chipping in, as well as Bertrand and CME Associates for their work on the project. "More important than the cost is the safety of the people," Pollando said. "It's just a very dangerous intersection. When you cut across a major intersection like that, you are taking your life into your own hands. If you are walking, you have no protection whatsoever, and there were people who walked there at night and got hit. This is long overdue." The only disappointment for Pollando was the lack of assistance from Old Bridge. Officials in that township agreed the intersection should have a traffic light, but said it should be the county that funds it since Ernston Road is county owned. "There was no real cooperation from Old Bridge," Pollando said. "They did not come up with any funds to help out with the cost. I felt that they should have come up with some, but I thank the two strip malls and Pathmark. There have been an incredible number of accidents there, and now people will be able to cross and go from mall to mall. It is progress in the making."