A new traffic signal is expected to be installed at the intersection of Route 206 and East Long Drive and West Long Drive later this year.
The Lawrence Township Council approved a resolution to enter into an agreement with the state Department of Transportation regarding the operation and maintenance of the traffic signal at its Jan. 18 meeting.
West Long Drive is the entry into the Long Acres development, next to the Lawrence Township Municipal Building.
East Long Drive is a new street that marks the entrance into the Venue at Cobblestone Creek age-restricted townhouse development. It is also the entrance to the adjacent Cobblestone Creek Country Club, formerly known as the Greenacres Country Club.
The installation of a traffic signal at the new East Long Drive entrance into the Venue at Cobblestone Creek development was raised during the Lawrence Township Planning Board’s public hearings on the townhouse development in 2016.
The driveway entrance into the Cobblestone Creek Country Club was relocated when the Lennar Homes application was approved for the townhouse development. The site plan for the development called for creating a new street – East Long Drive – that lines up opposite West Long Drive.
Making the case for the traffic signal, Lawrence Township officials told the state Department of Transportation that it was needed for the safety of the residents and the general public, and for improved traffic flow along that section of Route 206.
Lawrence Township hired Arora and Associates to conduct a traffic study and a warrant analysis to determine whether the intersection met the standards for a traffic light. The report was submitted to the state Department of Transportation, which approved the request.
In approving the request for a traffic signal, the state Department of Transportation is requiring Lawrence Township to relocate the exit driveway from the Lawrence Township Municipal Complex and to contribute 25% toward the cost of the traffic signal.
Lawrence Township’s share of the cost is estimated to be $32,175 and the state Department of Transportation’s share is estimated at $96,525. The township will pay for the electricity to operate it and the state will pay for the installation and maintenance costs.
