Dangerous Rt. 33 Intersection Claims 3rd Life In Two Years

MANALAPAN, NJ-- The intersection of Route 33 and Woodward Road in Manalapan where a fatal car crash took place on Sunday is known to residents and police for being dangerous-- especially for Manalapan’s senior citizens.

Residents from Marianne Manor, an assisted living facility on Route 33 not far from Woodward Ave, frequent the shops at the intersection: a WaWa, CVS and Walgreens with a RedBox DVD rental kiosk. Complicating things are the lack of crosswalks or pedestrian lights (the walk or do not walk signs) at the intersection, leaving pedestrians to guess when it’s safe to cross.

“The residents of that facility frequently walk to the businesses located at that intersection,” Police Captain Thomas Barstow told Patch. “This is not the first person from that facility that has been struck by a vehicle in that area.”

Marvin Hodgdon, 58, was living at Marianne Manor at the time of his death on Sunday. Hodgdon was struck and killed by a car while trying to cross Route 33 late Sunday evening. Last August, a 60-year-old resident of Marianne Manor was struck and killed while trying to cross that same intersection. In October of 2014, a 67-year-old man was struck and killed while crossing the intersection during a downpour.

Captain Barstow was unable to immediately provide specific numbers on fatalities in the intersection.

Manalapan residents who frequent the intersection have noticed the abundance of Marianne Manor residents there.

“Not certain but 99% of the walkers are from the center. It's dark and poorly lit. They practically walk right into the road,” a local resident told Patch. “We've had many instances of having to avoid running someone over. They're unstable and walk aimlessly all day and all night.”

Another resident also complained about how late at night Marianne Manor residents are out, posting on Facebook, “There should be a curfew for the people who live at the Marianne Manor on Route 33....it's 1am and I almost hit one of those idiots who is walking down Route 33 in the right lane, not even on the shoulder, and is dressed in all dark clothes[...].”

An employee who answered the phone at Marianne Manor told Patch that walking is the only way residents can access the stores located at that intersection. She said residents frequent the convenience stores and pharmacies there.

All three residents who died at the intersection in recent years were attempting to cross the street in the dark. When asked if residents have a curfew, the employee told Patch, “No, they are free citizens.”

The abundance of Marianne Manor residents walking along Route 33 caught the attention of State Assembly Republicans after the October 2015 fatality. At the time, Assemblyman Rob Clifton (R- Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean & Burlington) said he planned to draft legislation to increase inspections of residential treatment facilities.

A meeting was held with township officials to discuss how those improvements might be made.

“A facility like Marianne Manor is not appropriate at this location on a major state highway with no sidewalks or pedestrian crossways, especially when there is no supervision, or the staff or site is not aware of who is coming and going,” Manalapan Committeewoman Susan Cohen, who attended the meeting, said last year. “We have already lost two residents, and if something doesn’t change with the way residents are supervised, there will be more.”

Unfortunately, Sunday’s accident proved Cohen’s prediction true.

Image: Google Earth screenshot of Marianne Manor on Route 33 in Manalapan