BURLEIGH — The accident that claimed the life of 24-year-old William B. Eckel two days before Christmas put the death toll on the Cape May County portion of the Garden State Parkway at 20 souls since 1999.
Although it was the only fatality on this county’s 27 miles of the Parkway for 2008, there were a total of 11 fatal accidents on all county roads here last year, according to figures from the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety. Statewide there were 597 fatalities in 562 accidents.
In August, the Herald published a story that detailed the infamy of Route 47 (27 fatal accidents) as this county’s deadliest highway, but noted that Route 9 (18) and the Parkway weren’t far behind.
Some unique features of the southern-most section of the Parkway make it a safety concern for motorists.
The Parkway is a 173-mile-long toll road managed by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority that runs from Cape May to New York through 50 municipalities in 10 counties. The only three traffic lights along the entire stretch are located at Exits 9, 10 and 11 in Middle Township.
Eight of the 20 accidents have occurred in the general vicinity of the lights between mileposts 7 and 14. An even more dangerous area has been in the northern part of the county with 10 fatal accidents between mileposts 19 and 26.
Local officials, including Dennis Township resident state Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st), have been calling for Parkway fixes for many years.
“This accident was just another tragic example of how this area has been historically underserved. Since my days as Freeholder I have been advocating for improvements on the southern most portion of the Parkway,” Van Drew said in a release following the Dec. 23 crash. “We have had some success but we need to do much more. For too long the most southern portion of the GSP has been forgotten.”
The multi-million dollar plan to elevate the highway, remove the traffic lights and replace them with ramp interchanges is on target to be completed by 2012.
The latest fatal Parkway accident involved a southbound vehicle crossing a grassy median and colliding head on with a northbound vehicle.
In his release, Van Drew also called for a reconfiguration of the unprotected median strip along with other Parkway improvements including reconfiguration of the most southern terminus of the Parkway at the Route 109 intersection, temporary placement of rumble strips around the lights and at the terminus as well as full interchanges at Exits 6, 17, and 20.
In addition to the physical characteristics of the road, the amount of traffic appears to increase the likelihood of fatal accidents. Half of the fatal accidents on the Parkway have occurred between Memorial Day and Labor Day when the county’s population swells from the year round 100,000 to over half a million during the summer tourist season.
In October, the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety participates in the national “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day,” which is designed to bring to the forefront driving behaviors that can result in tragedies on the roadways.
“This effort goes a long way in helping to prevent the senseless loss of life that occurs nearly every day on New Jersey roadways,” Division Director Pam Fischer said in an Oct. 1 release. “By encouraging motorists to buckle-up, every ride; drive the posted speed limit; and avoid distractions for one 24-hour period, we can make our roads safer for everyone.”
For more information regarding fatal accidents and other state statistics, visit http://www.njsp.org/info/stats.html
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com
Sea Isle City – Please tell me about Trump's presidency that I missed. I recall that the threat from N. Korea stopped. I recall that covid came (from the Chinese) and Trump fast tracked a vaccine. I recall…
