Fatalities prompt action at two O.B. intersections
Traffic signal OK'd for one; town looks at options for other
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer

OLD BRIDGE - Township officials are taking steps toward averting future tragedies at two intersections.

Thanks to efforts by Councilman Reggie Butler and others, a traffic signal will be installed at Spring Hill Road and Route 34, where a 17-year-old township girl died after an accident in September 2006.

Meanwhile, a number of traffic control devices are being considered for the intersection of Amboy, Disbrow and Lambertson roads. TwoOld Bridge residents, ages 19 and 20, were killed in an accident there late last month.

"There are criteria you have to meet to get a traffic light,"Mayor Jim Phillips said.

Though the process of getting a traffic signal installed often takes several years, according to Phillips, Butler has proved himself remarkably adept at expediting the process.

Township officials struck a necessary agreementwith the county and state in early December, holding thatOld Bridgewould be responsible for paying the electric costs associated with the signal at Spring Hill Road and Route 34, according to Township Business Administrator Mike Jacobs. Approvals were necessary because Route 34 is a stateowned road, and Spring Hill Road is owned by the county.

From there, it becomes a matter of waiting for action from the state.

Butler asked the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) how the process could be expedited, and learned that if the light's installation is considered an emergency, itwould be attended to in amore timely fashion. Phillips then wrote a letter to the DOT informing it of the fatality that occurred there, Jacobs said.

"Hopefully,we're going to see some action in six months or so," Jacobs said.

Soon afterAshley Barton, then a student at Old Bridge High School, died in the accident at that location, Butler spearheaded efforts to make the intersection safer. The council took action amonth after the crash to prohibit left turns there.

In the wake of the Jan. 26 crash at Amboy and Disbrow roads that claimed the lives of Jennifer Dooley and John Razillard, who had been dating for four years, Councilman Brian Cahill brought forth discussion of placing a traffic signal there, during Monday's council meeting.

"Ifwe can avoid another accident, I think we owe it to the residents to do that," Cahill later told the Suburban.

Officials said the president of the Rambling Knolls housing development, situated near the intersection, was not keen on the idea of a signal being installed there. According to Cahill, the residentwas concerned about possible traffic problems on Disbrow Road as a result.

Another resident suggested that a streetlight at the intersection be repaired to provide further visibility there. Phillips said he and Jacobs would work with Jersey Central Power&Light to getmore lighting installed.

Police Chief Thomas Collow plans to work with the traffic and safety department of the police force to research past accidents at the intersection and figure outwhatwould be the best course of action there, officials said. Whatever the case, Cahill said he wants to ensure that something is done tomake the intersection safer for motorists.

"I go by there twice a day, and the way the traffic signs are placed, they're kind of placed back so you have to crawl forward to see if anything is coming, and that's a problem," Cahill said.

Another issue with visibility comes from a hill on Amboy Road that precedes the intersection, Cahill said. Once a vehicle reaches the top of the hill, it is basically on top of the intersection, according to Cahill, and this can lead to accidents if drivers are not alert. Speeding on Amboy Road, which has a speed limit of 40 mph, only serves to exacerbate the problem, he said.

Phillips said other options for the intersection could include traffic-calming devices like additional signage and speed limits being painted on the roadways.

According to Cahill, area residents have expressed concern about the safety of the intersection, especially in light of the recent accident and others in the past.

"I just don't want to see another tragedy happen," Cahill said.