Middletown pushes for lower speed limit

JEFF HUNTLEY Michelle Gill’s daughter Jenna, 8, accompanies her into the voting booth at River Plaza School in Middletown as she gets ready to vote Tuesday.

MIDDLETOWN — Complaints about the Navesink River Road-Patterson Lane intersection have prompted the Township Committee to take action to reduce the speed limit on Navesink River Road.

At Monday’s workshop meeting, the committee agreed to draft a resolution urging the county to lower the speed limit.

For some time, drivers have been complaining that the intersection, just west of Navesink Country Club, poses a danger to drivers. Making turns onto Navesink River Road has become dangerous, especially since Patterson Lane, which connects Navesink River and Cooper roads, was converted from a dirt to a paved road, they say.

The existing 40 mph speed limit on Navesink River Road only compounds the problem, said Township Administrator Robert Czech.

Since the road was paved, there has been an influx of drivers using Patterson Lane as a cut-through, increasing potential for accidents.

Czech recently met with Committeeman Raymond O’Grady, Riverside Drive Association President Richard McOmber and Planning Board Chairwoman Judith Stanley to try to remedy the situation.

Everyone was in agreement that a viable first step would be to try to get the county to reduce the speed limit on Navesink River Road to at least 35 mph.

Drivers have contended that not only is visibility poor when making a left turn from Patterson Lane onto Navesink River Road, but it is difficult for oncoming traffic to gauge what is ahead when approaching Patterson Lane, because of curves and road elevations.

The resolution, which will be on the next committee agenda, will also ask the county to explore the issue further, examining the right of way at Navesink River Road, road curves and basic visibility to determine other possible needed improvements.

According to Township Engineer William Farrell, the curvature and visibility problems are exacerbated by the fact that Navesink River Road is aligned in such a way that "it rises as you approach the intersection (at Patterson Lane)."

"The road just disappears around the curve," added Planning Director Anthony Mercantante.

If the problem cannot be rectified by reducing the speed limit from 40 to 35 mph and/or nothing can be done to improve the road structure and visibility, the committee will consider asking to ban left turns out of Patterson Lane onto Navesink River Road. Another option, said Mayor Rosemarie Peters, would be to turn Patterson Lane into a one-way street, eliminating the inundation of cars using the road as a cut-through.

Peters said there have been one or two accidents a year on record, many of which could have been partially due to icy road conditions. She did agree, though, that something should be done.

— Elaine Van Develde