NJDOT implements pedestrian safety
improvements on Route 130 in Burlington City

New traffic pattern will reduce speeds
and creates safety buffer for pedestrians

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced the implementation of a new traffic pattern on Route 130 in Burlington City in an effort to improve pedestrian safety.

As part of a planned repaving project that was just completed along the Route 130 corridor in Burlington City, NJDOT implemented a road diet, which is a reduction in travel lanes. The idea of the road diet is to reduce vehicle speeds through the area and improve pedestrian crossing safety. 

“Safety is the top priority for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, whether you are a driver, bicyclist, or pedestrian,” NJDOT Commissioner Richard T. Hammer said. “Reducing Route 130 from three lanes in each direction to two lanes in Burlington City will help slow traffic down and create a buffer between vehicles and pedestrians, particularly students walking to Burlington High School.”

NJDOT has been working with local officials for many years to improve safety along Route 130, which is a divided highway with homes and businesses in the median between Jerome Street (mile post 45.8) and the Assicunk Creek (mile post 46.6).

The highway had three lanes in both the northbound and southbound directions. Following the paving project, NJDOT restriped the road to reduce it to two lanes in each direction with an 11-foot to 12-foot left shoulder that serves as a buffer between vehicles and pedestrians walking on the sidewalk parallel to traffic. It also provides opportunities for a shorter distance to cross traffic lanes. Larger “School Speed Limit 25 mph” signs are to be installed, with additional “No Turn on Red” signs placed at the intersections of Wood Street, High Street, and Jacksonville Road. NJDOT analysis shows a reduction in lanes should result in lower speeds, without adversely affecting the existing traffic capacity.

A 2014 study looked at possible improvements to the roadway to make it safer for pedestrians, in addition to safety improvements that already had been made over the years, such as more visible crosswalks, installation of sidewalks north from Columbus Road to Jacksonville Road, school zone signage, lower speed limits during school hours, and other improvements. The study identified a road diet as a possible alternative.

In addition, traffic counts showed that a reduction from three lanes of traffic to two lanes in each direction could accommodate the existing traffic volumes on Route 130 and would not have a significant adverse impact on the capacity of the roadway.

There are two existing projects expected to be advertised in the spring of 2018 to make additional improvements to Route 130. One will redesign the Route 130/Columbus Road/Jones Street intersection to provide a left turn lane for Route 130 northbound traffic turning onto Jones Street.  It also includes providing ADA-compliant ramps and countdown pedestrian signals. Another project from Charleston Road/Cooper Street (CR 630) to Crafts Creek will extend the useful life of the roadway, improve reliability and safety, install ADA-compliant ramps, and add pedestrian pushbuttons and countdown signal heads. In addition, NJDOT plans to conduct a pedestrian road safety audit in the fall 2017.