Will Route 47 Rumble Strips Cut Fatalities?

TRENTON – Three fatalities on Route 47 this year, all in Middle Township, got legislators’ attention. First District representatives, in separate releases last week, announced their unified support of “rumble strips” on the centerline of the entire length of highway in Cape May County in an act to stop accidents.
Assemblyman Samuel Fiocchi (R-1st) on May 28 voiced “support for improvements” to the stretch of road that Republican-dominated Middle Township Committee as well as Middle Township Fire District No. 1 renewed “the call to make the road safer for motorists,” he stated in his release. “There have been enough injuries and fatalities along this section of Route 47 over the years to warrant preventative action. Safety is our number one concern on roads and highways, especially this part of Route 47 which is notorious for serious accidents. A rumble strip is a sensible approach that will make this road less dangerous. Installing it can’t happen fast enough.”
He added that the highway had been included “as one of the roads in DOT’s centerline Rumble Strip – South Project with a $4.6-million contract expected to be awarded in November.
In a May 30 release, Sen. Jeff Van Drew and Assemblyman Robert Andrzejczak (both D-1st) announced improvements “have been approved by the state Department of Transportation.” The called for “immediate action on the project” to place a rumble strip on the center line “to alert drivers of the dangers of passing, a problem which has resulted in fatal accidents on the road.”
“Route 47 is an extremely hazardous roadway,” their release stated. “We continue to see a high number of fatal accidents each year. I am extremely grateful the state has a plan to fund improvements, but this project has to be done immediately to prevent additional loss of life,” Van Drew stated. “I will be working with the department to expedite this project and will continue to evaluate additional improvements that can be made to create safer conditions and prevent future tragedies from occurring,” he wrote.
Andrzejczak cited “dozens of people” who were killed on the highway “over the years.”
As of June 1, N.J. State Police listed six fatalities in Cape May County. The most recent took place May 10 on Route 47 when a 7:23 a.m. crash claimed the life of a 19-year old passenger in a car whose driver fell asleep. The vehicle drifted across the road and struck a tree, according to Middle Township police.
Other fatalities on Route 47 occurred this year:
* Feb. 25 single-vehicle accident at 2:51 p.m. on Route 47 North, Goshen, Middle Township claimed a man’s life after his car struck two utility poles.
* April 24 at 10:04 p.m., Route 47 South, at milepost 5.2 near Rio Grande in Middle Township, at 10:04 p.m., a two-vehicle collision claimed the lives of two men.
Van Drew sent a letter to state DOT Commissioner James Simpson stressing the need “to address the dangerous conditions on the winding and heavily trafficked roadway.”
Additionally he requested to work with the commissioner to evaluate placement of the rumble strips, traffic lights, additional no-passing zones, as well as the straightening of curves in the road as well as speed limitations to help eliminate the hazards on Route 47.
VanDrew further noted that DOT was planning a project to place the center-line rumble strips on about 62 miles of Route 47 from milepost 0.7 to 75. That would be the entire length of this county and Cumberland, which are in the First Legislative District.
“We have to make the road safer and placing rumble strips on the center line will help to prevent crashes at dangerous curves on the roadway, where vehicles often attempt risky passing maneuvers,” Van Dew added. “The fact is that this is a life-and-death situation and anything we can do to improve conditions must be done immediately. For the safety of our residents, this cannot wait.”