Monmouth County employees have installed a rumble strip between the northbound and southbound lanes of Kozloski Road from Center Street to Turf Drive in Freehold Township.
“This project will put in place a road safety feature to alert drivers if they drift from their lane,” Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone said. “This will be a milled, 4,300- foot-long rumble strip.”
A rumble strip causes tactile vibrations and an audible rumble through the wheels into a vehicle’s interior. It is a proven safety measure to reduce cross-over accidents, according to a press release from the county.
Fatal accidents on Aug. 19 and Sept. 27 occurred when one vehicle crossed over into an oncoming lane of traffic on Kozloski Road.
The county’s Division of Engineering is continuing to work with Freehold Township and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to identify short-term and long-term safety improvements along Kozloski Road, according to the press release.
On Oct. 9, the Monmouth County engineer met with DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox and state Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Monmouth) to discuss possible safety improvements on the road.
In early October, the county conducted traffic studies along the Kozloski Road corridor. A traffic volume study was conducted from Oct. 3-10 and a speed study was conducted from Oct. 24-27.
Monmouth County and Freehold Township officials are also continuing to educate drivers and enforce the existing speed limit along the 4-mile Kozloski Road corridor from the Route 33 bypass to Route 79.
Previously, the county placed two mobile speed indicators and four variable message boards to alert drivers to their actual speed and warn drivers to slow down and obey the 50 mph speed limit.
Monmouth County contracted with Zone Striping Inc., Glassboro, to install the rumble strip. The contract amount is $32,360.
The section of Kozloski Road that traverses over Route 33 was designed, constructed and paid for by the DOT as part of the improvements to the business section of Route 33. The DOT project elevated Kozloski Road over Business Route 33, which eliminated an intersection and the need for a traffic signal, according to the press release.