CRANFORD — The Cranford Township Committee discussed several key developments on Tuesday that will be progressing in the community in the coming weeks and months. Many of these developments had to do with engineering improvements on roads throughout the township. This is to help manage the flow of traffic, which has been a frequently-discussed topic at governing body meetings.
During the workshop portion of the meeting, Kevin Boyer of Colliers Engineering gave a rundown of improvements that the company is aiming to implement on Cranford roads. Mr. Boyer started by addressing the fact that the township is looking to install a raised crosswalk at the intersection between Orange Avenue and Birch Street. He also noted that the crosswalk will be larger than a traditional crosswalk, measuring 10 feet wide instead of six feet wide.
Mr. Boyer further mentioned how additional sidewalks and curbs can be expected to be added to Lambert Street in the near future. However, he said, the big issue, which has been discussed at previous township committee meetings, has to do with the mitigation of traffic. Mr. Boyer reiterated a point that Mayor Brian Andrews emphasized in previous meetings about the issues with traffic lights in the township.
Part of the issue, according to Mr. Boyer, is that the traffic lights in certain areas are not controlled by the same agency. Some traffic lights within the township’s boundaries belong to Union County, whereas others are property of the state Department of Transportation. As such, the signals are not always linked to the same network, which leads to out-ofsync lights and greater traffic buildup. As part of a start-up to address this plan, Mr. Boyer said that the Department of Transportation is planning to conduct a quarterly study on nonsynced lights to better come up with solutions to this problem.
Mayor Andrews also addressed plans to install a cell-phone tower near Union College.
“This is something that the township committeehasconsistentlybeenagainst,” MayorAndrewssaid.“Thezoningboard (also) denied approval for this project, which kicked off a legal effort.”
Mayor Andrews said Tuesday that while the township’s efforts to block the 140-foot tower have been “substantial,” the project would likely go forward despite continued opposition.
