By Allison Perrine
TINTON FALLS – Positive reactions from residents followed the county’s most recent and scaled back proposal to alleviate problems at the Hance and Sycamore avenues intersection.
The T-intersection, also near the Hope Road T-intersection, has long been criticized for being dangerous. And at the Jan. 22 planning board meeting, county officials announced plans to bring in a new traffic signal and dedicated left turn lane to help make the intersection safer.
The lane will be 200 feet in length, eastbound on Sycamore Avenue to northbound Hance Avenue, said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “All work will be done within existing county right-of- way.” All of the plans and studies were conducted by Monmouth County.
The town has been talking about the dangers of the intersection for about 15 years ago, as council- man Mike Nesci recalled. Everyone’s main concern seemed to be about the timing of a light at Hance and Sycamore avenues with an existing light close by at Hope Road and Sycamore Avenue, and how to sync the two. He called the latest plan “wonderful” and “a great compromise.”
“They explained it very well that yes, they’re going to time it, they’re going to study it, they’re going to make sure that both lights will work together to minimize the amount of traffic,” Nesci said.
Council president Tracy Buckley said she, too, thinks the current proposal will improve the safety of the intersection and is appropriate for the area. “As long as the lights are timed to sync appropriately, which the county will monitor, my hope is that this will satisfy residents’ concerns,” she said. And she has heard the same positive feedback from residents following the “well attended” Jan. 22 meeting.
The plan is temporary, however, as the county will monitor traffic counts over time and analyze how the improvements are performing. They will then make adjustments if they need to.
Buckley reminds residents to follow the speed limit posted on the roads, which is 40 mph. “And please don’t text and drive,” she added.
According to a 2018 traffic study available on the county department of engineering website, the crash rate at Hance and Sycamore avenues was over twice the state average and there were over 20 injuries reported in a four-year period – an injury rate of three times more than the state average. Peak hours for the intersection are 7:30 to8:30a.m.and5to6p.m.
The report also provided calculations by the Highway Safety Manual showing the cost of the crashes to the town over a 20-year period was $12 million, or $600,000 annually.
