Traffic tie-ups worsening

JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff A bulldozer operator moves earth at a construction site off business Route 33 and Kozloski Road, Freehold Township, on Oct. 15. The state Department of Transportation is building an overpass over Route 33 and making related changes in the traffic patterns at the spot where Route 33, Kozloski Road and Halls Mill Road meet. A traffic light will be moved to the intersection of Route 33 and Asbury Avenue. Residents who live in the neighborhood that in-cludes Sycamore Avenue and Redwood Lane off Route 537 in Freehold Township are discovering what many other people who were used to living in quiet neighborhoods have known for a while. That is, with traffic becoming more frustrating at many spots around the area, motorists are looking for any shortcut that may help them avoid the worst of the traffic tie-ups.

In some cases that sends motorists on winding routes through development streets where they are much more likely to come into contact with adults, children and pets.

Not too long ago residents who live in a small neighborhood along Asbury Avenue off Route 33 in Freehold Township voiced their concerns to representatives of the state Department of Transpor-tation who were making a presentation about a new overpass at Route 33 at Kozloski Road. The residents were worried about the way that the project will affect their lives.

Residents of the Sycamore Avenue and Redwood Lane neighborhood said the same thing last week.

We are certain that Freehold Township residents are not alone in their concern. There are likely to be locations in every town where the flow of traffic has changed for the worse. Residents should let their elected officials know about these situations. The orderly movement of traffic and the safety of residents must be a top priority for local officials and police departments.

In the case of Sycamore Avenue and Redwood Lane, a resident reported to the News Tran-script on Monday that a stop sign has been installed at the intersection of Redwood Lane and Syca-more Avenue and that over the weekend there was an increased police presence in the neighborhood.

Western Monmouth County is a victim of its own success as a suburban enclave. Hundreds of homes built in the past decade have added thousands of vehicles to roads like Route 9, Route 33, Route 79, Route 537, Route 522 and others. What used to be a 10-minute ride on Route 9 from Freehold Township to Marlboro (a distance of about 9 miles) is now, at most times, a 15- to 20-minute stop-and-go ordeal.

Welcome to one of America’s “hot” places to live. Just don’t plan on going anywhere fast.