HOWELL — Municipal officials have announced that the state Department of Transportation will enhance the intersection of Strickland Road and Route 9 with new signs, signals, crosswalks and altered lanes.
The intersection has an extensive history of accidents, according to Howell officials.
The DOT will make the improvements at Strickland Road in conjunction with a Route 9 resurfacing project that was announced earlier this month, according to Township Engineer William Nunziato Jr.
Work on the intersection could begin in four to six weeks, he said.
Nunziato said the westbound left lane of Strickland Road at the street’s intersection with Route 9 will become a dedicated left turn lane. The right lane will be a combined through/right turn lane.
In the eastbound direction, a lane will be added on Strickland Road. The left lane will be for left turns only, the center lane will be a through lane and the right lane will be a through/right turn lane.
In addition to the lane enhancements on Strickland Road, the DOT will install a curbed triangular island to better enable drivers who are traveling southbound on Route 9 to turn onto Strickland Road.
Additional lighting poles and fixtures will be installed at the intersection to improve lighting, Nunziato said.
Township Manager Helene Schlegel said she reached out to the DOT at the suggestion of Councilman Robert Nicastro and met with department officials who ultimately agreed to enhance the intersection.
“Through the cooperative efforts of the police department, the governing body and our engineering department, they have agreed to make significant intersection improvements at that site,” Schlegel said. “We want to thank the rapid design team from the DOT for really pushing this forward.”
Mayor Robert Walsh lauded all of the parties involved for committing to making the intersection improvements.
“It’s great, and Councilman Nicastro is spot on,” Walsh said. “Something needed to be done there. There was a long history of accidents there. My offices are 200 yards away [from the intersection of Route 9 and Strickland Road] and I have seen a lot of needless accidents there that did not have to be, so I am happy they are doing something about it.”