Fatal Crash Raises Concerns Over 'Dangerous' Highway In Cherry Hill

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Weeks after a fatal crash in Cherry Hill, several residents expressed concerns over a stretch of Kings Highway that's been the site of several crashes — some deadly.

Poorly timed traffic signals are among the conditions that put the public at risk on the portion of the roadway between Route 70 and Chapel Avenue, according to two Cherry Hill residents who spoke during Sept. 26's Township Council meeting.

A pedestrian suffered fatal injuries Aug. 31 after getting struck around Kings Highway and Ormond Avenue, police said. A similar incident occurred in March 2020, when a 71-year-old woman was fatally struck while trying to cross the highway at that intersection.

• Read more: Pedestrian Killed In Cherry Hill's 2nd Fatal Crash In 4 Days: Police

Cherry Hill resident Yolanda Lorenz told Council she's experienced several close calls with tragedy while crossing Kings Highway between Route 70 and Chapel — including one incident that she says involved a funeral director she knows.

"I said, 'I'll be seeing you sooner maybe than later,'" Lorenz told Council. "It really is dangerous crossing Kings Highway. There's a lot of pedestrian-cyclist traffic."

The roadway is part of Route 41 — a state highway within the NJ Department of Transportation's jurisdiction. With that knowledge, Lorenz suggested that the township appoint a liaison or assemble a task force to focus on the area's crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.

Rick Short, another township resident, said broken streetlights darken the stretch of Kings Highway. After a friend's son got struck while riding a bicycle, Short claims he also found three broken traffic signals in the area.

"The next time you're at (Interstate) 295 and Route 70 at night, look at all the streetlights that are working there," Short told Council. "And then, I want you to drive down to (the site of) the recent accident at Kings Highway and Route 70."

At the meeting, Police Chief Robert Kempf said the state recently examined the timing of the light at Kings and Chapel, and he would circle back to see if they did the same at Kings and Chelten Parkway — another area of concern in that portion of the highway.

Council President David Fleisher advised Kempf to get a full update from the state and the Cherry Hill Police Department's traffic personnel. Then, the township could coordinate a briefing on the matter with the neighborhood.

The most recent fatal collision occurred at about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 31. The driver remained on-scene, while officials took the pedestrian to the hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries, police told Patch after the incident.

The pedestrian, however, entered the road without regarding their surroundings, Kempf said at the council meeting.

"They just went across in a dark part of the highway," Kempf said. "(It was a) tragedy and very unfortunate, but it was an individual who didn't utilize any signal or crosswalk."

Watch Sept. 26's Township Council meeting below: