For Immediate Release:

January 11, 2016

County awarded $714,000 for safety projects

Funding for projects in Middletown, Millstone and Upper Freehold

The improvements will be completed as part of two separate projects:

• Upgraded traffic signals, installation of dedicated left turn lanes, pedestrian countdown signals and highly visible crosswalks at the intersection of Leonardville Road (CR 516) and East Road in Middletown, $339,000
• Application of high friction surface treatment, safety edging (to minimize vertical drop-off and allow motorists to safely reenter the paved road) and signage to warn of curves along Stagecoach Road (CR 524) from Cherry Lane in Millstone to the intersection with Chambers Road and Roosevelt Road in Upper Freehold, $375,000.

The projects are among 17 throughout the region that the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Board of Trustees approved at its Jan. 11 meeting. The intersection improvements in Middletown are part of the NJTPA’s Local Safety Program, which provides federal funds to counties for high-impact, “quick-fix” and cost-effective safety improvements. The Stagecoach Road (CR 524) project is part of the NJTPA’s High Risk Rural Roads Program.

“The High Risk Rural Roads grant will let us make further safety improvements to a roadway that has seen several crashes, helping us to prevent injuries and save lives,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone, a NJTPA trustee. “The intersection improvements in Middletown are equally important and will improve pedestrian and motorist safety at a high-volume crossing in a residential neighborhood.”

The High Risk Rural Roads Program funding will also allow Monmouth County to build on its efforts to improve safety along Stagecoach Road (CR 524). The NJTPA Board previously approved a $225,000 grant in 2014 for safety upgrades along a winding stretch of the roadway in Millstone. That project included resurfacing, adjusting the roadway elevations at sharp curves, brush clearing, drainage improvements, and the installation of reflectors, signage and high visibility striping.

In addition to the surface treatment and safety edging, the latest grant will also fund lighting at intersections and safety striping.

The NJTPA Board approved $32.4 million in Local Safety Program and High Risk Rural Roads grants for projects that will proceed in fiscal years 2016 and 2017. More information on the program is available online at www.njtpa.org/LocalSafety.

The NJTPA is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for 13 northern New Jersey counties. Under federal legislation, MPOs provide a forum where local elected officials, public transportation providers and state agency representatives can come together and cooperatively plan to meet the region’s current and future transportation needs. The agency establishes the region’s eligibility to receive federal tax dollars for transportation projects.

The NJTPA Board consists of one local elected official from each of the counties in the region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren) and the cities of Newark and Jersey City. The Board also includes a governor’s representative, the New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner, the NJ TRANSIT executive director, the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a citizen’s representative appointed by the governor.

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