Error processing SSI file
|
The Commissioner's Report
(archived)
Governor's $50 million sign
initiative kicks off in Trenton
Providing New Jersey motorists with highway signs that convey clear, concise, consistent and “smart” information was one of the tasks Governor McGreevey assigned the NJDOT earlier this year.
We got the initiative rolling in July by announcing a five-year, $50 million program to improve signs along the interstate and state highway systems.
The program not only will reduce motorist frustration and inconvenience, it will improve safety by providing motorists clear direction as they approach busy interchanges. I kicked off the program in Trenton at the Route 29 Capitol Complex as NJDOT crews started changing overhead signs.
Over the next five years, the NJDOT will expand its scope and spend $50 million to reduce sign clutter, upgrade and replace worn signs, add and replace overheads signs and redo pavement markings in an effort to improve highway operation and safety throughout the state.
Established in February, Governor McGreevey’s Sign Review Initiative initially focused on the Route 29 Capitol Complex where old signs were replaced with clearer directional signs that allow motorists to easily and efficiently navigate what was once a confusing set of exit ramps.
Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, NJDOT is able to capture digital images of highway signs from a specially-equipped van. That information is later downloaded to computers and analyzed by staff to help them develop corrective measures.
Other hotspots statewide that will be reviewed and improved include:
- I-80/Routes 46/23 Interchange
- Newark Liberty Airport
- the I-78/Route 24 Interchange
- I-95 and I-295 from the NJ Turnpike to Pennsylvania
- I-76 and I-676 along the Camden waterfront
- the I-287/Route 440/Route 1/NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway area (known as the Woodbridge Spaghetti Bowl)
- the Route 130 Collingswood Circle.
In addition to the NJDOT, the task force includes representatives from the State Police, the Office of Highway Traffic Safety, the Federal Highway Administration, the toll road authorities, the AAA and the NJ Motor Truck Association.
In his Executive Order 43, Governor McGreevey also directed the NJDOT to utilize technology to provide motorists real-time traffic information. Through a contract with SmartTraveler, the NJDOT is feeding 80 live video images of major intersections onto its Web site. Real-time traffic updates on the Web site will be phased in through October.
|
|
