FREEHOLD – A new pedestrian crosswalk has been installed and is in operation on East Main Street in Freehold Borough.
The purpose of the crosswalk is to increase pedestrian safety on one of the busiest streets in town.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Dec. 20 to recognize the development of the mid-block crosswalk between South and Sheriff streets.
The new crosswalk connects the sidewalk on the south side of East Main Street in front of Cozmos Hair Color Studio and the sidewalk on the north side of East Main Street in front of a branch of the Two River Community Bank.
Under state law, motorists must stop for pedestrians who are in the crosswalk. Bright yellow signs have been posted on East Main Street in the vicinity of the new crosswalk which indicate the pedestrian crossing is operational.
Municipal officials were joined at the ribbon cutting ceremony by state Assemblyman-elect Gerry P. Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth) and Ronald Roberts from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT).
East Main Street is designated as Route 79, a state highway, and the installation of the new crosswalk required coordination with and approval from the DOT.
“The crosswalk has been many years in the making,” said Nolan Higgins, whose term as mayor ended on Dec. 31. “It will encourage safety and open up parking in our downtown. To everyone who was involved, thank you so very much.”
“If this crosswalk saves one life then it was worth the 18 months it took to develop it and the 12 years it sat on a shelf in Trenton,” said businessman Barry Fisher, who owns property in the borough.
Municipal officials have said the Freehold Borough Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, as commissioned by the DOT, recommended the installation of a mid-block crosswalk to promote a safe movement of pedestrian traffic in the downtown business district.
As part of the process, the Freehold Borough Police Department endorsed the installation of the mid-block crosswalk on East Main Street.
On the morning of Dec. 22 – two days after the crosswalk was opened to pedestrian traffic – motorists were still getting used to the new crosswalk, with many drivers failing to stop for a pedestrian who was attempting to cross East Main Street.
News Transcript Managing Editor Mark Rosman contributed to this article.