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Tinton Falls school board has concerns about road improvement plans

TINTON FALLS – The Tinton Falls School District Board of Education has drafted letters it plans to send to the Borough Council and the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders expressing concern with concept plans that seek to improve a busy intersection in the municipality.

The letters, copies of which were circulated during an Aug. 27 school board meeting, state that the proposed plans could “lead to the degradation of the very fabric of the community.”

The board is rejecting two concept plans designed by Monmouth County to improve the intersection at Route 13A (Sycamore Avenue) and Route 51 (Hance Avenue). The county has jurisdiction at the intersection.

The concept plans also seek to improve the nearby intersection of Sycamore Avenue and Hope Road, which is under the jurisdiction of Tinton Falls.

Concept plans presented by county engineers have called for the expansion of roads to accommodate the number of vehicles currently using Sycamore and Hance avenues, and a projected increase in the number of vehicles that will use in the roads in upcoming years. 

The addition of lanes of travel on the targeted roads could require the acquisition of land from residential properties, public officials have said.

Th proposed plans, which were introduced and discussed at previous meetings of the Borough Council, did not sit well with residents or members of the governing body.

Members of the public have said the concept plans are “intrusive” in nature and said the proposed improvements would fast track the commercialization of what residents have referred to as a scenic area of town.

During the Aug. 27 meeting, school board member Jason Puleio said he drafted letters on behalf of the board that outline the panel’s apprehension regarding the proposed concept plans. Puleio said the plans could impact children who attend school in that area of town.

The three schools in the K-8 district are the Mahala F. Atchison Elementary School, 961 Sycamore Avenue; the Swimming River Elementary School, 220 Hance Avenue; and the Tinton Falls Middle School, 674 Tinton Avenue.

School board members are asking the members of the council to formally reject the proposed concept plans before them and to ask the county for new concept plans.

In the letters he drafted, Puleio said children “walk, bike and cross daily” Sycamore and Hance avenues to get to and from the Mahala F. Atchison and Swimming River schools.

Puleio said changes to the existing roads could lead to an increase in the number of vehicles traveling through the area and pose a greater risk to children who use the roads.

“We urge you to formally reject the two proposals that have been presented and make it clear to the freeholders that we expect them to come back with more thoughtful, less impactful plans that will make the area in question safer without widening and overdevelopment on (the roads),” the board’s proposed letter to the Borough Council states.

“We are concerned the county’s proposals will create more convenience, not more safety. With more convenience comes more volume. We currently have an abundance of cars and commercial trucks traveling 45-plus mph down Sycamore Avenue past our schools every morning.

“An added volume of cars and commercial trucks will endanger our students, make traveling to and from school more difficult, lead to more littering and noise pollution, and create more tailgating and accidents,” the letter states. 

Board members offered the following suggestions to council members and the freeholders:

• Install a traffic light at the intersection of Hance and Sycamore avenues;

• Create a turning lane for eastbound cars on Sycamore Avenue to make a left turn onto Hance Avenue;

• Reduce and enforce the speed limit on Sycamore Avenue;

• Coordinate the timing of the proposed traffic light at the intersection of Hance and Sycamore avenues with the traffic light at the intersection of Hope Road and Sycamore Avenue;

• Add sidewalks and bike paths for children;

• Enforce the weight limit on Sycamore and Hance avenues to limit the amount of truck traffic.

At present, Sycamore and Hance avenues accommodate one lane of travel in each direction. Residents have described the location as a high-volume traffic area that is prone to motor vehicle accidents.

Residents agree with officials that the intersection of Sycamore and Hance avenues is problematic and needs to be addressed.

The first concept plan produced by the county proposes the extension of Hope Road, upgrades to traffic signals, and an increase in the number of lanes in either direction of the targeted roads.

The second concept plan produced by the county proposes the construction of a traffic signal at the intersection of Hance and Sycamore avenues, upgrades to the existing traffic light at the intersection of Hope Road and Sycamore Avenue, and the expansion of the targeted roads.

During public comment at the school board meeting, Natalie Watson, who has a 4-year-old son, said she is concerned for his safety as a new school year approaches.

“As much as he wants to swing from the trees like Spiderman, he will actually be (attending school) by bus,” Watson said.

At present, Sgt. Joseph LoPresti said crossing guards are on site at Swimming River Elementary School during the school year. Police officers are also on site at the Mahala F. Atchison Elementary School to help children safely navigate the roads during the school day, he said.

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