Township Moves to Improve ‘Dangerous’ Intersection

An intersection that Mahwah township council members have said, “might be the most dangerous one in town,” will be getting some improvements. 

Thursday night, the town council voted to implement some of the township engineer’s suggestions to improve safety at the intersection.

Thursday night, Engineer Mike Kelly presented to the council a report from a meeting he had with county road officials and the Mahwah Police Department about the intersection. While the township is waiting for a free Rutgers University Safety Audit at the location to see if a blinking traffic light should be installed, Kelly recommended the council vote to take several measures now that he said would help improve the safety at the intersection. His suggestions included:

• Meet with local homeowners and the Rio Vista Homeowners Association to enforce a township ordinance requiring trees and shrubs interfering with sight distance on local roadways be trimmed back. The town could require the property owners to cut back trees along the intersection that make it harder for drivers to see, he said.
• Ask the county to install 35 mph advisory speed limit signs. The speed limit on Campgaw Road is 45 mph.
• Install a pedestrian crosswalk and signage at the intersection. Though it is not a heavily foot-trafficked area, the signs would alert drivers to the upcoming intersection and compel them to slow down, Kelly said.
• Add additional striping to the ground to warn drivers of the upcoming intersection, and repaint the double stop bars and add the word ‘Stop’ painted on the ground on Seminary Drive. The striping would cost the township $8,500.

Kelly used accident data to back up his suggestions, saying that from 2010 – 2012, 17 accidents occurred at the intersection, 11 of which included injuries and 12 of which were considered ‘serious.’

After some discussion on the pros and cons of the options, the council voted in favor of Councilman Steve Sbarra’s suggestion to implement only those options that would not cost the township any money.

He suggested making the free changes first, then evaluating if they help the situation before moving forward.

“I agree that something needs to be done [there], but let’s make sure we’re not throwing money away on something that’s not going to help,” Sbarra said.

He and several other council members also suggested that the real problem at the spot is Campgaw Road’s 45 mph speed limit.

Kelly said that although he would ask the county to change the speed limit there, it was unlikely to happen. The possibility of adding an advisory speed limit is much more likely, he said.

“It’s not just one issue,” Kelly said. “There’s a lot in play here,” which is why he said he suggested the council implement all of the suggested changes.

“My major concern is that the accidents that occur here are not fender benders,” he added. “Right now, there is no advanced warning to make people aware [of what they are approaching].”

Because it voted against the $8,500 striping, council members suggested having the township Department of Public Works paint the intersection instead. Though Township Business Administrator Brian Campion said the DPW does not have the ability to do the same type of all-weather striping, it might be able to paint the area temporarily. Though the paint would fade, the DPW might be able to do it on a yearly basis, officials said.

Campion said he would check with the DPW to see if temporary striping in the area would be possible.

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