BERKELEY: Possible Solution to Additional US 9 @ Frederick Drive Improvements?

BERKELEY: Earlier today OCSN posted a story about a structure fire at the Berkeley Garden Apartments on Frederick Drive. We used this stock photo below; this is US 9 @ Frederick in Berkeley. This traffic signal is new, and was lobbied for by local government. It is needed to ensure pedestrians can cross safely due to the apartment traffic shopping at nearby Shop Rite. In typical New Jersey fashion, they stuck the traffic signal there on Frederick- but couldn’t be bothered to fix the opposite corner. Yes, the plaza owns that abandoned Shell/Texaco station as pictured, but how hard could it have been to realign? It appears to be as easy as moving those large concrete walls to begin.

Perhaps if our local leaders wanted to go the X-Tra effort to make us safer- they could have came to an agreement to improve the whole intersection. Have the plaza traffic entrance & exit ramps match Frederick Drive- then a simple intersection. Permit 4 way pedestrian walk phase with diagonal crossing permitted- while all vehicle traffic stops- similar to NJ 166 @ Washington in Downtown TR. Nope- cars making a left out of Shop Rite plaza can just find a ramp somewhere- and say a prayer it’s not T-Bone city.

Keep in mind none of us here at OCSN hold any traffic management or planning experience. However, looking at this corner for 30 seconds made it stick out how half-assed this was done- as a slap in the face to Berkeley. Well, maybe someone here can explain why this hasn’t or can’t happen yet with the NJ DOT? Please- only facts which can be OPRA’d; not just gossip you heard about the old gas station owner’s body is buried under that gas pump island- or myths like that.