Turning Signal to Be Installed at Olcott Square in Bernardsville
Longtime concern about left turn heading north on Mount Airy Road to be addressed, mayor says.
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The traffic turning patterns at Olcott Square in the center of Bernardsville have for many years been a headache for local officials and drivers. But next week — at long last — Mayor Lee Honecker said that the state is planning to install a left-turn arrow on Mount Airy Road as it crosses Route 202.
Honecker told the Borough Council on Monday he has heard the state Department of Transportation will begin underground construction to allow the change in the traffic signal, with work to begin next Monday, March 18.
Honecker said he had received the news from N.J. Sen. Anthony Bucco, (R-Dist. 25), who represents the borough.
Honecker said that reportedly a resident had contacted Bucco's office expressing concern about the lefthand turn onto Route 202, now requiring the traffic heading north to turn in front of oncoming traffic heading south into the intersection.
The intersection is a major hub not only for state highway Route 202, but also for residents and drivers from Basking Ridge and south who are heading north along Mount Airy Road, which is a county road.
Bucco's office apparently followed up, and was told that the DOT had intended to perform the work in 2012, but had been diverted by Hurricane Sandy.
Honecker recalled that the project had almost come to fruition years earlier, around 2006 or 2007.
Nevertheless, Honecker said he wanted to send a thank you "to that resident who contacted Sen. Bucco."
The work on the light is due to begin during the final stages of another project on Mount Airy Road, south of Olcott Square, to install new water mains on the road in anticipation of a larger reconstruction project by the county.
Through traffic now is being detoured while work is progress, beginning with barricades at the intersection of West Oak Street and Pill Hill Road in Basking Ridge. That project is due to be over by the end of March, a representative for New Jersey American Water Company said last week.
b flake
10:04 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
While they are at it they should install a left turn arrow for those driving south on 202 who want to go south on Mt Airy Rd.
Voltaire
11:09 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
What a joke! Honecker couldn't get it done but some unknown resident does? AND this isn't going to fix a darn thing. What about the people coming down Anderson Rd turning left onto north 202 or, as flake mentioned, the largest problem, people traveling south on 202 turning left onto Mt Airy Rd? This entire intersection needs to be re-thought and working smart light installed (not like the none functioning smart light recently install at the 287 sound exit onto Mt. Airy Rd). This is simply a GIANT waste of time and money!!
Voltaire
11:10 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Oops, that's "non-functioning" smart light.
Yeah Yeah
11:27 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
I agree...stupid decision not to make this a smart light. Nothing like going to work at 5:30 in the morning and have to screech to a halt on Mt. Airy because the light changes to red and there's nobody at the light coming from 287 onto Mt. Airy.
Voltaire
12:27 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Yeah Yeah, I'm so glad I'm not alone on this. I occasionally drive through that intersection in the late evening. I am the ONLY car on the road and the light turns red. At the least it should be made a blinking light off peak hours. What makes less sense is that the detection cameras are mounted above the lights but clearly they are not functioning.
Rob
2:18 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Adding protected left turns at this intersection really won't cost that much in the grand scheme of things.
Voltaire
2:30 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I agree Rob but why only one? The other directions are just as bad. They should be installing left turn signals for the other 2 directions at the same time.
Rob
3:10 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I believe the article is missing some detail. If you are giving a protected left to the WB Mt. Airy to SB 202 turning movements, you will be able to share that green time with a protected left from EB Anderson Rd to NB 202, provided it works geometrically. (It looks like it would.)
There is no reason why you couldn't give protected lefts on 202 as well. The question is, should you? Every time you give a protected left, you have to steal the green time from someplace else in the cycle. Doing this will shorten the green times for thru traffic. The other factor that you have to contend with is pedestrian crossing times. At times that can be a significant constraint.
The good news is the only significant equipment that needs to be installed are new traffic signal heads, some detection cameras, and possibly an updated controller. Once the equipment is in place, it is virtually free to tweak the signal timing and optimize the intersection.
Linda Sadlouskos
3:32 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
This is what was announced last night. However, I have been seeking updates from the state and from local police, who apparently also had just heard about the plan. Patch will update as more information is available.