Traffic light
sought at exit
to Howell Rd.
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer
HOWELL — Monmouth County Free-holder Ted Narozanick is asking the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to install a traffic light at the Howell Road exit from the Route 33 bypass.
Township Manager Bruce Davis announced at the July 20 meeting of the Township Council that Narozanick has petitioned the DOT for a traffic signal at the spot where the exit ramp from the bypass meets Howell Road.
The Howell Road exit ramp has remained closed to all but emergency vehicles since the final leg of the Route 33 bypass opened for traffic in January 2003. The bypass is also known as the Theodore Narozanick Highway. The final leg runs from Halls Mill Road in Free-hold Township to just east of Fairfield Road in Howell.
The bypass diverts traffic away from Freehold Borough.
The exit ramp to Howell Road never opened because the ramp’s design and construction resulted in what police deemed to be a dangerously short sight distance for vehicles turning on to Howell Road. That finding was later confirmed by the DOT.
Councilman Peter Tobasco said he wants the DOT to reconfigure and redesign the exit ramp rather than install a traffic signal that would back up traffic on Howell Road.
In February, DOT spokesman Michael Horan said transportation officials had decided there would not be any additional work done to open the Howell Road exit ramp. He said the ramp would only be used by emergency vehicles. Horan said DOT officials made the decision at that time after restudying the geometric standards used in the design of the bypass and the exit ramp.
Davis said given the fact that the DOT had determined that the Howell Road exit ramp would remain closed, the possibility of having a traffic light installed was more than could have been expected. He said he was grateful Narozanick had taken it upon himself to contact the DOT to request a traffic light.
As of press time Tuesday, Davis was not aware if the DOT had responded to that request.