Section of Memorial Drive to be put on a ‘road diet’
Lanes will be reduced from four to two with a turning lane in center
A portion of one of the city’s main north-to-south throughfares has been approved for slimming.
Members of the Asbury Park City Council voted Wednesday to draft a resolution that allows the Department of Transportation [DOT] to reconfigure the traffic pattern on Memorial Drive, from Route 33 on the Neptune border to Munroe Avenue.
Monmouth County owns that section of the roadway.
The plan will reduce the amount of lanes from four to two, one in each direction, with a turning lane in the middle. A shoulder will be provided and improvements made to some of the sidewalks along the area, according to Fred Passeggio, principal engineer for the Monmouth County Division of Engineering and Traffic Safety.
Memorial Drive north of Munroe Avenue, where the city’s right-of-way resumes, is already a two-lane street.
Federal grant funds in the amount of $400,000 have already been allocated for the project, and another $400,000 is expected to be secured before the start of the project’s construction in February of 2015, Passeggio said.
Representatives from nonprofit group Interfaith Neighbors were consulted about the project and are in support of it, City Manager John “Jack” Kelly said at the meeting. Interfaith plans to build a cutting-edge, 47,000 arts-centric building on an empty lot at the northeast corner of Springwood Avenue and Memorial Drive, along a small city-owned portion of roadway that will be redesigned.
Councilwoman Sue Henderson ensured a plan for storm water runoff was also included in the repair. Passeggio said all of the storm water inlets will be replaced and all of the elements of storm water drainage built to meet requirements.
While the county engineer was present, Councilman John Moor took the opportunity to address other issues the city has in relationship to county-owned sections of roadways.
When the county snow plows roll down Asbury Avenue in the winter, another county-owned roadway, they lift the plows when they make the right to head south on Memorial Drive and place them down again two blocks later, where the county roads recommence at Monroe Avenue. Moor questioned why the border remains at Munroe.
In addition, the city maintains seven traffic lights along Asbury Avenue, which are technically the county’s responsibility, he said.
“I bet we are the only city in Monmouth County maintaining traffic lights owned by the county,” Moor said, “can you pass that along to someone at the county? Because it has been driving me crazy for years.”
Passeggio could not provide answers to Moor’s questions, but said he would pass the information to the chief engineer and others at the county level.
A similar project to redesign the traffic pattern along Main Street in Asbury Park has been proposed by the state, which has jurisdiction over that road which is also known as Route 71. The affected roadway in that plan includes the entire length of Main Street, as well as Deal Lake Drive from Main Street to Grand Avenue.
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