By MADDY VITALE
Safety is on the minds of the Cape May County Board of Commissioners -- especially when it comes to traffic.
On Tuesday, the Commissioners will introduce a resolution urging the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), the Garden State Parkway's operating agency, to conduct a safety study of the intersections at Roosevelt Boulevard (CR 623) and Exit 25 of the Garden State Parkway.
County Commissioner E. Marie Hayes, of Ocean City, said in an interview on Saturday that improvements are greatly needed to make the interchange safer.
“It is very busy there,” Hayes said. “There are a lot of issues when people come from the north and drive down the ramp. There is a conglomeration of drivers who come off the exit and it is absolutely overwhelming.”
Specifically, the County Commissioners are calling on the NJTA in the resolution to conduct a safety study and implement necessary improvements to correct, “the hazardous conditions of the intersections at Roosevelt Boulevard and interchange 25 of the Garden State Parkway.”
Motorists travel in all directions at Exit 25 and Roosevelt Boulevard.
Exit 25 serves as both a gateway to Ocean City and the Marmora section of Upper Township.
On Saturday, cars whizzed down the exit ramp. Some motorists quickly had to brake for the traffic light at Roosevelt Boulevard. When the light turned green, a row of cars turned left toward Ocean City. Others made a right turn toward Marmora in Upper Township.
In the same location, cars traveling east on Roosevelt Boulevard hopped on the Garden State Parkway south exit and others went to the GSP north exit.
Commissioner Will Morey, who is responsible for overseeing county roads among other duties as a commissioner, was in contact with the NJTA a while back about the situation, Hayes noted.
“You just have so many people turning left, turning right,” Hayes noted. “There are too many different directions. People are getting on the Garden State Parkway south and north. It’s just way too condensed an area for that much going on.”
While studies take time and improvements may not be seen for some time, Hayes said the resolution is a measure to show the NJTA that it is an important step in the direction toward a much safer interchange.
Drivers head down the Exit 25 ramp and have to quickly slow down for the traffic light ahead.
