Howell Mayor Encouraged by DOT Meeting

Residents of Howell know one of the biggest problems in the township is the constant traffic on the Route 9 corridor, especially from Route 195 to Aldrich Road. 

In an effort to tackle that problem, particularly during rush hour Mayor Bill Gotto and other local and state officials recently held a meeting with representatives from the Department of Transportation (DOT). The meeting was held in state Sen. Robert Singer’s (R-30) Lakewood office just south of the bulk of the traffic on Route 9.

One of the major focus points of the meeting was the timing of the intersection at Route 9 and Aldrich which has been a particularly troublesome spot. According to a statement from the township a study was recently conducted including a technical analyses and simulation models for the area between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The results of the study showed that the delay in the area “was excessive and exceeded the normally acceptable levels of service for traffic operations.”

There were some suggested improvements made as a result of the study, including converting the shoulder from 195 to Aldrich Road to a third lane of the roadway. “The addition of the third lane," the statement said, would, “increase the capacity of the roadway significantly, enabling higher volumes of traffic to progress through the intersections.” It would also allow traffic to enter the highway easier and make getting off of Route 9 easier.

Another suggested improvement is to work on the already installed Intelligent Traffic Systems. “It was our understanding that such signalization timing was previously completed, however the results seem to indicate worsened conditions.”

Following the meeting Gotto said he was encouraged by what he was told by officials from the state and hopes to see immediate actions taken. 

“They either did or in the next couple of days will be deploying a team to come out and investigate the Route 9 corridor,” he said. After the investigation, he said the DOT will report back on suggestions to help alleviate the problem. “They’re going to give us some idea what can be done right away and what can be done to improve it in the future.

Along with Gotto, Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro and Singer the meeting also included DOT Commissioner James Simpson. Gotto said had it not been for Singer’s help the commissioner would not have been part of the discussion. “The commissioner said we don’t do these meetings,” he said. “If Sen. Singer didn’t facilitate that meeting, that meeting wouldn’t have happened.”

Singer said the meeting was an important step in fixing a difficult problem in his district. “I am confident that this meeting, which allowed for a closer examination of the area’s long term transportation needs, will support the case for targeted improvements and will help expedite the necessary projects forward.”

Other issues discussed were the emergency power capabilities for traffic signals on Route 9, which were knocked out following Hurricane Sandy and potential expansion projects for Routes 9 and 33.