Route 29 safety improvements discussed
Lettiere presents options for needed
safety improvements at community meeting
Trenton—A variety of plans for safety improvements along
Route 29 were presented to Trenton residents tonight by New Jersey
Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner Jack Lettiere
at a community meeting held at the Holland Middle School. The
NJDOT proposed a comprehensive safety plan that incorporates a
number of specific improvements to Route 29. It presented these
improvements to local residents and community leaders as options
to improve safety on Route 29 from Calhoun Street to Parkside
Avenue, the scene of several fatal accidents over the past year.
“We are here tonight to share our ideas with the community,
and together we can determine the best way to make safety improvements.
We will listen to the thoughts of local residents and determine
a final solution only after carefully considering their concerns.
Enhancing safety on Route 29 is what Governor McGreevey’s
‘Safety First’ initiative is all about. Many decisions
must be made with respect to the future of Route 29, but we must
first take immediate steps to make the roadway safer,” said
Lettiere.
The proposed Route 29 safety improvements were designed to prevent
crossover accidents and provide recovery room on the left and
right sides of the highway for errant and disabled vehicles. They
would improve driving conditions for motorists and improve drainage,
reducing the prevalence of hydroplaning. The NJDOT’s proposed
safety improvements include the following:
Median Installations
The NJDOT proposed making improvements to the median to prevent
crossover accidents. Several different designs were presented
as options, including dual faced guide rail, brick-faced barriers,
and concrete barriers.
Roadside Improvements
The existing guiderail on the right
hand side of Route 29 covers approximately
one third of the roadway from Calhoun
Street to Parkside Avenue. The NJDOT
presented several options to local residents
for remedying this safety problem, including
filling in these gaps with guiderail.
Roadside improvements would provide
for additional room on the side of the
road allowing vehicles to recover or
for disabled vehicles.
Drainage Improvements
The NJDOT also proposed making a number of improvements to the
road surface that would allow for better drainage after storms.
These improvements are designed to prevent hydroplaning and make
the driving surface safer for motorists.
These improvements were presented as
options to local residents and community
leaders. The purpose of tonight’s
meeting was to present these various
options for improving safety to local
citizens and to allow them to share
their thoughts with Commissioner Lettiere
and NJDOT officials. A final plan for
Route 29 will be presented shortly that
enhances safety while preserving the
character of the roadway and taking
into careful consideration the thoughts
and concerns of local residents.
