Residents propose ideas to ease Rt. 520 traffic BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer FILE PHOTO Residents of the Lincroft section of Middletown shared several ideas with the Township Committee for relieving traffic on Route 520 (above). One plan was to create a new exit from Route 18 to Laird Road in Colts Neck, which leads to Phalanx Road and could be used as an alternate route to Brookdale Community College. MIDDLETOWN - Following a recent traffic accident that claimed the lives of two young people, local residents are now asking township officials to help make the Route 520 corridor safer to drive. Among the ideas suggested at last week's Township Committee meeting were creating a new exit on Route 18 to Laird Road for use as an alternate route to Brookdale Community College, and allowing trucks to travel on the Garden State Parkway up to Exit 117, which would allow for direct access to Routes 35 and 36. According to Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA) co-President Carol Baker, trucks are only allowed to travel to Exit 105, which then let's trucks on to Route 537. Baker's suggestions come in the wake of an accident at the beginning of the month in which Roberto Pereira, 18, of Long Branch, and Corinne Quintana, 22, of Eatontown, were killed on Newman Springs Road when their vehicle collided with a dump truck. LVGA co-President Abe Littenberg also spoke about the amount of truck traffic that flows through the township. "The truck traffic is difficult to deal with, and seeing a reduction in speed would be a big help," Littenberg said. The LVGA has long been critical of the high volume of truck traffic generated in the area by the Marpal waste disposal company in Tinton Falls. The group recently opposed Marpal's application to expand its facility, a proposal that county officials ultimately rejected. Littenberg suggested allowing Marpal trucks to use state highways when going to the county landfill and not allowing them to use the roads prior to 6 a.m. "Some trucks come around as early as 4 a.m. and they make plenty of noise and speed all over the place," Littenberg said. Mayor Thomas Hall said he liked the proposals that were brought forth, but since many of these decisions would be beyond his jurisdiction, he advised the residents to talk to other local governments as well. "I think the county would be receptive to listening as far as what to do on Route 520," said Jack Gallagher, a Lincroft resident. Hall did agree that the traffic problems are evident to anybody who travels on Newman Springs Road by car, truck or otherwise. "Anytime that I run along that stretch of road, I see mostly solid waste trucks speeding by and making noise," Hall said. Hall also mentioned that passing a resolution to create a task force to study the traffic issues in town wouldn't be difficult. "Accomplishing everything that people have mentioned would not be easy, though," Hall said.