UPPER FREEHOLD — Bids for the redesign of Sharon Station Road are not expected to go out until 2012.
At the Dec. 16 Township Committee meeting, Mayor Stan Moslowski Jr. and Committeeman Steve Alexander reported on a meeting they had the previous day with Monmouth County Engineer Joseph Ettore and other county officials regarding Sharon Station Road’s redesign. Over the years, many local residents have come before the committee to complain about the road’s safety, and fatal accidents have occurred there.
In December 2008, Ettore presented a boulevard redesign for the road to the governing body. At that time, Ettore said one plan includes creating a boulevard to separate north and southbound traffic, which would allow for safe traffic movement into developments along the road. An 11-foot traffic lane, as opposed to the present 12- foot lane, would have a calming effect, he said. There would be a 4-foot shoulder on each side of the roadway as well as an additional 4 feet of grass pavers, he said. The bridges would be 40 feet wide, the same width as the road, he said. Ettore said there would also be a pull-off area for school buses.
At the Dec. 16 meeting, held almost two years to the day from Ettore’s original presentation, Moslowski said that current designs are preliminary. According to the mayor, Ettore did not think that necessary permits, including those for right of ways, easements and buffers could be acquired before 2012.
“It’s really involved,” Alexander said. “It’s more than just laying asphalt. You can see why people get frustrated that it takes so long.”
He added that the county must deal with state agencies and individual property owners.
“It’s definitely a big county project,” he said.
Moslowski said that the road must be designed for safety according to Department of Transportation standards.
Alexander said that the county wants the township to create a committee, including township officials and three local residents who live along the road, who could help see the process through. Committeeman Robert Frascella, who lives in the Woods at Cream Ridge development off Sharon Station Road, said that no one involved in suing the township over the road situation should serve on the committee. A group called CARS (Citizens Advocating Road Safety) sued the township in 2007, demanding it ban commercial truck traffic on the road, among other issues. The legal action was later withdrawn.
Alexander said appointments to the committee could be on the governing body’s reorganization agenda next month. He said that Ettore is doing a good job in keeping what is important to Upper Freehold Township, and was confident the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders will do so as well.