County To Study Truck Traffic Surge In South Brunswick. Public Input Sought

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — This year alone, South Brunswick has seen seven fatal crashes, according to the police department.

On Monday, a truck driver was charged with two counts of assault by auto after a crash that seriously injured two South Brunswick teens. More: Driver Charged In Crash That Seriously Injured South Brunswick Teens

Now, Middlesex County and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) are studying strategies to safely manage truck traffic while balancing the needs of all road users.

The primary focus of the Southern Middlesex County Freight Movement Study is South Brunswick, Jamesburg, Cranbury and Monroe. The study will identify how and where trucks move along county roads, the bottlenecks and barriers to freight movement, alternate truck routes, safety issues and crash clusters.

Due to the growth in the number of warehouses and distribution centers in the area, truck traffic has surged substantially which has negatively impacted communities, according to the study which began in spring.

On Wednesday, NJTPA will hold an in-person public meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Monroe Township Senior Center to solicit input from the public.

The meeting will include a brief overview of the study with breakout groups for discussion. A second meeting is slated for the spring to present study recommendations.

Those who cannot attend the meeting can complete a short survey about truck traffic issues in the area and changes that should be prioritized.

The Southern Middlesex County Freight Movement Study is supported by a $400,000 grant from the NJTPA. The County will be providing staff and resources for the study, officials said.

The initiative to undertake the study comes after Monroe Mayor Stephen Dalina urged authorities last year to look into truck traffic in the area.

“We are not interested in just passing this nuisance traffic onto a neighboring town,” Dalina said last year. “We need to work together on a regional solution, in which all of our neighboring municipalities are working collaboratively on a fair and equitable solution.”

In 2019, Monroe passed an ordinance that set weight restrictions on trucks passing into Cranbury. But the very next year, DOT recommended against implementing the ban.

Late former mayor, Gerald W. Tamburro had said in 2020 that he would schedule a meeting with DOT over the ordinance.

Dalina said he was continuing Tamburro’s efforts as many trucks use Monroe as an access point to enter Cranbury, which has several warehouses.

“We know that the only way to solve this issue is to work closely with our partners at all levels of government. That is why I requested this study,” Dalina said.

“These tractor-trailers should not be on residential roads.”

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com