Full Traffic Signal Coming For Commonwealth-Northampton In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — It seems as though it's almost a daily occurrence: reports of a crash at the intersection of Commonwealth Boulevard and Northampton Boulevard in Pine Lake Park.

The intersection, which is controlled by a stop sign on Northampton and a traffic signal that blinks red on Northampton and yellow on Commonwealth, has been a problem for years, township officials say.

Increasing numbers of serious and fatal crashes, including a June crash that killed a Jackson Township man, prompted Mayor Robert Hudak to ask in a July letter that the Ocean County Engineering Department to give the intersection another look.

There were 38 crashes at or near the intersection of Northampton and Commonwealth boulevards from 2018 to June 30, two of which resulted in fatalities. There were 12 crashes at that intersections that required patients to be treated at the hospital, according to Manchester Township records.

On Monday, Hudak announced his request to the county for a full traffic signal at the intersection has been approved.

"As a Pine Lake Park resident, I’ve seen firsthand the dangers of this intersection and the inattentiveness of drivers that led to serious or fatal accidents," Hudak said in a news release announcing the signal approval. "I am happy to have worked diligently with the Ocean County Engineering Department and the Ocean County Commissioners to achieve this result for our residents."

The blinking yellow signal on Commonwealth wasn't encouraging drivers to be cautious at the intersection, and drivers stopping on Northampton pulled into the path of oncoming traffic, not seeing it until too late. That was the case in the June crash; the Jackson man who was killed had stopped at Northampton, but pulled into the intersection, not seeing the vehicle coming north on Commonwealth.

The township has been trying to address concerns about the intersection for nearly 20 years, Hudak said, including making a request for a full traffic signal via a Township Council resolution in 2020.

This time, county officials agreed to the request.

Hudak, in a reply to Ocean County Engineer John Ernst thanking the county for approving the signal, said the township hopes to approve a resolution for the electrical agreement for the signal at its Aug. 22 council meeting "to see that this process moves quickly and efficiently."