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Last month Morristown Minute published an article about the safety concerns surrounding the Normandy Parkway and Colombia Road intersection. Many residents connected with the story having seen firsthand the dangers of this intersection.
Days later, the town of Morris Township approved plans for safety improvements and resurfacing work for a section of Normandy Parkway. Here are the details.
A total of $291,700 (out of $9,793,791 award in the fiscal year 2021 to Morris County for road repairs) has been approved for resurfacing and safety updates to an area of Normandy Parkway stretching from Colombia Road to Washington Avenue.
The project will include repaving the roadway and repainting traffic lines. Safety features will also be added, including a sidewalk for pedestrians, three crosswalks with florescent crossing signs, traffic warnings signs to alert motorists to pedestrians, and bike lanes on either side of the road.
Notable additions to safety for residents include the construction of crosswalks and fluorescent warning signs.
Those who live in the Colombia Road/Normandy Parkway area are likely aware of the difficulty faced when crossing this roadway. Cars speed down the road exceeding the speed limit, and rarely stop to allow pedestrians time to cross.
Additionally, the crosswalks that are currently available to pedestrians have become faded and difficult to identify. As a result, motorists often fail to slow down for those attempting to cross.
The resurfacing and safety updates will make the area safer for pedestrians and emphasize the crosswalks along the roadway. Fluorescent signs in the middle of roadway crosswalks will further emphasize a pedestrian's right of way.
Bike lanes come as a welcome addition to the roadway, giving bikers ample space to safely travel the dangerous roadway.
The plans speak of sewage repairs and updates along the roadway as well as expanding the width of the road to accommodate the addition of a bike lane and pedestrian walkways.
The project will be completed in small segments to avoid considerable disruption to traffic patterns. Where construction limits passage on the roadway, there will be detours and traffic control monitors on the roadway to direct motorists.
This project comes long overdue as safety for motorists and pedestrians on Normandy Parkway has been a major topic of concern for many years.
As the town prepares for construction, be aware that Normandy Parkway will likely be crowded with motorists and pedestrians as usual, and will see the addition of construction workers throughout the day.
If you are a regular user of Normandy Parkway between Washington Avenue and Colombia Road be prepared for construction improvements to begin as early as next month. Drive slowly, watch out for pedestrians and construction workers, and consider avoiding the roadway until construction is completed.
