DOT Institutes Changes With Route 9 Timing

Motorists driving down Route 9 may notice a change in the traffic patters after the New Jersey Department of Transportation changed the timing of the lights along a 23 mile stretch of the road. 

According to Tim Greeley, a spokesperson for the DOT, the changes are meant to help traffic on the busy roadway. "The purpose of optimizing the traffic signal timing of high volume corridors is to better regulate the flow of traffic and reduce motorists delays," he said. 

While the Howell portion of the project was just recently completed, the work started at the northern most end close to 18 months ago according to Greeley. Sgt. Joseph Markulic of the Howell Township Police Department Traffic Safety division said the hope is that drivers will see a difference with the change. It is also not the first time such a plan has been attempted on the road. "Over the years we have had the timing changes at several locations to help with congestion and it helped us out a lot," he said. 

A note posted on the Howell Township website from Manager Helene Schlegel advised residents of the changes and said the results of the changes were unknown this early in the process. "Depending on the intersection, the new timing may create backups on Rt. 9 and/or side streets," she said.