NAVIGATING SUSSEX COUNTY'S MAZE OF SUMMER PUBLIC WORKS

SUSSEX COUNTY - Summer is here. For New Jerseyans that translates into hot, humid days spent under a blanket of hazy skies. For Jersey drivers, it means sitting in their cars, watching the heat visibly rise from the blacktop, waiting bumper to bumper to make their way through yet another road construction zone.  Delays come as no surprise, because drivers are given ample warning, with signs that signal a “Work zone ahead,” “Give us a brake,” or notice that the “Right lane ends” — all signs intended to alert drivers to safety concerns, but which instead are met with dread. Summertime is high road construction time for one very obvious reason - the weather.  Most construction begins in springtime, but only when the temperature begins to rise into the 80s do drivers really begin to appreciate the hassle. Though routes 80 and 287 typically come to mind when area drivers think of construction delays, Sussex County has its own roadwork delays, only on a smaller scale. This summer there are three major projects going on within the county. The first is on Route 206 South in Byram, which feeds right into I-80, the gateway to the rest of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  The goal of this $9 million project is to bring that stretch of road up to current standards, according to New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Tim Greely. “This is an area with many design flaws and a lot of accidents have occurred. Over 24,000 cars travel it each day. The final result will yield two regular lanes and two passing lanes for a one-mile stretch of road, with a full shoulder,” said Greely. Commuters can choose to take Route 15 or 517 to avoid construction, because the two-year long project isn’t slated for completion until late October 2006.  Sparta resident Liz Galligan isn’t too confident that the light at the end of the tunnel will be enough. While she said she doesn’t mind the work being done, nor the inconvenience, “In the end,” said Galligan, “it won’t really help the traffic flow unless they make 206 four lanes the whole way - it’s just a stall tactic.” Farther to the north, another stretch of Route 206 is being worked on by the state as well - the “T” intersection of routes 206 and 94 in Hampton. The work began earlier in March and is scheduled to be done Sept. 8, though the traffic signal is anticipated to be up and running by mid-July.  When it’s all done, the project will have cost the state $1.5 million, but the result will be an altered layout of the intersection, with two dedicated turn lanes added, one each on the south and northbound sides of Route 206, creating a better flow of traffic, said Greely, for the 12,549 cars that travel through the intersection each day. For weeks now, work on this project caused a road closure on the southbound side of Route 94 from Sid Taylor Road up to the intersection of routes 94 and 206, and that road closure will be in place until the project is done. Drivers are detoured up Route 15, and then back onto Route 206 at Ross’ Corner. Many choose to use Sid Taylor Road or Warbasse Junction Road to get around the closed road, leaving them a little closer to Newton on Route 206, or Newton-Sparta Road near Andover. Inconvenient traffic patterns also can play havoc with businesses that find themselves caught in the middle of construction zones. Intercar Mercedes in Hampton is one such business. According to Intercar’s Dara LeNay, it remains to be seen whether or not the construction will adversely impact sales. “The state has been very cooperative,” with Intercar, said LeNay, and the police have been working hard to address safety concerns among employees and customers, given the growing number of cars trying to cut through their parking lot. Jack Lupo, a citizen of Hampton, has concerns over the project. To Lupo, “It doesn’t look like they’re widening it at all. They tore up the road about 10 feet to add two feet. Why not just dig up and pave an extra two feet?” In the end, Lupo said it’ll be worth the inconvenience, as long as traffic congestion is lessened. The third major project is in Vernon, on County Route 515. The town is currently doing work on constructing its new town center, including putting in a much needed traffic signal by the A&P. According to Township Engineer Louis Kneip, the goal is “to create a new pedestrian-friendly Main Street with a village atmosphere.”  The project is costing the town $4.3 million, but Kneip says the roadwork is just about done, and they hope to open the new road by late summer or early fall. With Vernon’s work on Route 515 nearly complete, Sussex County hopes to begin working on its portion of the road next summer, said John Risko of the county’s engineering department. Work is ongoing for Vernon’s sewer system, which Kneip hopes to have completed by 2008, around the same time as the county finishes its work on Route 515.  The project, in its many phases and facets, hopes to leave Vernon more than just a facelift. Kneip says by the time the project is done, there will be “restaurants, cafes, shops, and even limited office space. People will be able to park their cars, walk to dinner, maybe see a jazz band play, walk to some cafe for dessert - a complete evening out.”  Kneip said he is “really looking forward to opening the new Main Street.” Residents of Vernon have mixed feelings over the project. Don Callahan, a Highland Lakes resident, feels the “improvements are long overdue. You don’t notice or need it much during the week, but on the weekends more room is definitely necessary. Especially in the winter with all the skier traffic.” On the whole, drivers should take comfort in knowing that longer commuting time now will mean improved roadways for winter driving.