The vast majority of Lincroft residents are opposed to the widening of Route 520, Lincroft-Middletown Road, Swimming River Road, and the proposed jughandle on Phalanx Road, as recommended by the county engineer.
The first priority of this project seems to be simply to speed traffic swiftly through the heart of the village of Lincroft, whereas the concern of the residents is for the safety of thousands of students and pedestrians.
In the 1 1/4-mile stretch of eastbound Route 520 from Christian Brothers Academy to St. Leo’s School, there are two more schools — Brookdale Community College and Lincroft Village. These four schools have combined enrollment in excess of 14,000 students.
In addition to these educational facilities, there are two churches — Lincroft Bible Church and St. Leo’s — in the same 1 1/4-mile stretch, as well as a library, a firehouse, a U.S. post office, an assisted-living facility, a baseball and soccer field, Thompson Park, two restaurants, two gas stations, and four strip shopping centers with a combined total of 37 stores.
The engineering study done by the Monmouth County engineer and its consulting engineering firm, Orth Rogers, refers to the project as the County Road 520 corridor study.
For safety’s sake, the last thing we need is for this 1 1/4 mile of road to become a major east-west corridor through Lincroft. Widening a road encourages speeding — perfectly OK on the Garden State Parkway, but mortally dangerous in a school and shopping zone.
Leo H. Burrows
Lincroft section
of Middletown