[The following blog was originally posted on 2/18/07 on the Courier-Post town blogger site. They've since cancelled that project and took the blogs down... so I am reposting here. If there were reader comments with the original blog posts, they are not here as I couldn't find an easy way to repost them.]
Last week (Feb 15th) the NJDOT scheduled a public information session in Bellmawr for the planned 42/295 reconstruction project. Media comments make it appear that they've chosen the aqueduct plan... a structure of elevated roads for 295 riding on top of 42 that would have multiple lanes of traffic crossing over top of the Browning Rd Bridge between Annunciation and the cemetery. Admittedly, I missed the session last week, but I wanted to post about what I know regarding the plans, and what I plan to do to get additional information.
Note: The session flyer lists a snow date of this Thurs the 22nd. It was very icy on the 15th...the schools were closed... so there is a chance the session did not take place. I don't see any information online regarding if the meeting took place or not so maybe I didn't miss the meeting! That being said, if they did have the meeting, I will get the details of the number of residents that attended, and if the number is low I will suggest to the NJDOT that they quickly schedule another session.
First, I want to apologize.
There are two major (dare I say MONSTER?!) projects on the drawing boards for our small town of Bellmawr; the landfill redevelopment project, and the 295/42/Missing moves projects. My number one goal for this blog is to become a known source of information for the residents so that even if they aren't able to attend meetings, they know they can come here for information on the town's big projects.
So I can't believe that I didn't know about this meeting, and didn't attend. A few media outlets in the area ran small articles the day before the meeting (I would imagine from a NJDOT press release) but I didnt notice them until this weekend. Strangely, it looks like the Courier Post didn't pick up on this story. Truth be told, it really is a major project that impacts all of South Jersey and the Philadelphia Metro area. (as an example, Saturday a simple road work project on 42 in Bellmawr crippled the weekend traffic heading on 42 north).
So despite this small set-back of missing the meeting, I am continuing to dig in to get the information about the project and will post in this blog. In the past I have spoken to the engineers of the project, and I have a call into their offices to get the details.
The Project background
A short background of the project. Bellmawr really should be called the "Crossroads of South Jersey"... I don't think its a stretch to say "Crossroads of the Delaware Valley". Within and next to our borders are interchanges for Rt 295, Rt 42 (which heads into AC expressway), Rt 676 (which heads to Philly bridges) and a NJ Turnpike entrance. Chances are that if you live in the Philadelphia Metro region, you have driven through Bellmawr... and the number of people who travel through Bellmawr on a regular (at least once a month) must also be a VERY high percentage.
The problem with these roads is "Organic Growth". What I mean by that is, they roads more or less evolved slowly over time, without any master-plan of how the different roads should interact, and how they should support future growth. Like a small house that you just keep adding on, room after room... you reach a point that while you can say it works, its definitely not the best solution for the growing problem.
It is reported that the bulk of the cost for this project is to be picked up by the Federal Government.
295/42/676 project
The focus of this rebuilding project is the mass of roads which meet, twist around, join and criss-cross primarily in the borders of Bellmawr. I see three key issues with the current road system.
1) AL-Joes Curve: This bend is named Al-Joe's curve after the Mt Ephraim bar that previously sat beyond the trees that line this bend of 295. This curve is a very sharp and dangerous bend in what should be a fast moving highway. Even though we've all driven this section of road countless times, it can still surprise me. Simply put, the Federal Government wants its highway system to support faster moving cars, in primarily straight roads. In what is a 55 to 65 mph road, Al-Joe's curve is a dangerous twist of a road requiring drivers to slow down to 35 mph. This road is a frequent spot for accidents and trucks turning over. People just don't expect that while moving at 60 mph on a highway, there will be this ridiculously sharp and slow turn. This section is dangerous, and slows the movement of traffic.
2) Intersecting Roads: While the area makes for a nice "hub" of roads, it can be very confusing and dangerous for drivers to find the roads that they are looking for as at times multiple highways merge into one. At times it requires you to cross over several lanes of the highway, in a very short span of road (and time), at a high rate of speed... while the hundreds of other drivers in the area at the same time as you are all trying to navigate the same zaniness! The roads need to have better direct movement... roadways and ramps that better guide traffic, as opposed to the current "lets just toss all of the cars into a funnel with multiple openings at the bottom and hope everyone comes out the right exit in one piece"
3) Volume: Actually, this is a by-product of items 1 and 2. The way the roads are currently configured, with missing routes, slow bends, and forcing people to cross multiple lanes... it just doesn't move traffic fast enough for today's traffic, let alone traffic of tomorrow.
The Plan - What I know today.
I've studied all of the proposed plans and have been following them since they were first published on the internet. They've been published for a long time, and there have been multiple meetings with the public and a resident "task force". The project web site is located at http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/
While there are a variety of proposals, you could say the two leading varieties for "straightening out" 295 is to either go over, or underneath, the current 42/676 roadways. Driving on 295 south approaching the Al-Joe's curve to get to 295 south... the big change is that instead of going far off to the right to then take the curve left, you'll move into a more gentle left turn connecting with the remaining 295 south. The key question in the plans being will that road travel up on an aqueduct over everything, or will it go underground into a tunnel.
Unfortunately, it appears that every alternative has at least one roadway going over the Browning Road bridge. This can make for unsightly views for us when driving down Browning Road.
The Short List of alternatives http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/alternatives.shtm#shortlisted
Photo Simulations
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/photosimulations.shtm
The Tunnel Plan(s)
Going under the existing roadways is a very expensive proposition.... basically building a tunnel underneath what is already a very busy interchange. This 1.5 mile tunnel and other improvements has an estimated price tag of 1.5 billion!
Pro: This will minimize to just one lane the traffic traveling over the Browning Road bridge to just one lane.
Con: Essex Ave would possible need to be lowered 2ft. Higher costs. Impact on drivers.
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/shortlist-alternatives_mapK.shtm
The Aqueduct Plan(s) (which was apparently chosen)
The aqueduct plan (plan d?) is to move 295 across a portion of the cemetery, elevate it over rt 42, and have up to 3 sections of road over top of Browning Road Bridge (5-6 lanes?!). This project is estimated to cost 1/2 the price of the tunnel project. Depending on the exact plan chosen, this could really put a lot of roadway up in the skies over Bellmawr.
Pros: Lower price, and reduced traffic impact during construction.
Cons: A larger amount of roadways will be elevated over the skies of Bellmawr.... three levels in one of the plans! The roadway will be closer to the Bellmawr Baseball fields, requiring large sound barriers. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/jpg/ballfields_d_d1_noise_walls.jpg
Local Bridge/Roadway Changes:
NJDOT has a lot of information on their website, and has been conducting meetings with town representatives, and conducting public sessions. So they are trying to get the information out to the public (despite my missing the most recent!).
But I did find one confusing mistake... there are comments about changes in elevation to local bridges that are needed to support all of the alternatives, but somehow they are only noted in the last option ("K"). My guess is someone had a larger document with the bridge changes listed at the bottom, and when this was sliced into web page sections the bridge comments were left attached to the K (tunnel choice).
Basically, the bridges at Bell Road (near Bell Oaks School), Browning Road (Annunciation), and Creek road (Luke Oil) will be raised to provide clearance for new road beds, and lengthened to accomodate the rebuilt lanes. Being a life-long Bellmawr resident, I am very familiar with these bridges and have questions to the impact of the communities around these bridges. Creek and Browning Roads are both flat roads with residents and businesses fairly close to the start of the bridges. The Creek Rd bridge for example has homes right up to the edge of 42 and Creek, so what is the impact on the residents and business if creek road is raised in that area and the bridge is lengthened?!?! The photo simulations do not depict the bridges being elevated... so maybe its a non-issue, or is it just not being represented clearly enough?
I hope to have additional information on this project and decision over the next week, and will post more information here when I recieve it.
Side Note: Missing Moves
Another example of "Organic Growth" that turned into roadways with minimal planning... after 25 years of legalized gambling in Atlantic City you still can't travel on 295 North (from Gloucester County) and directly connect to 42 south!! How do you think many of those people make that transition to 42 south? They drive through the local streets of Bellmawr to access 42 at Creek Rd. This access road that I did just mention is called the "Missing Moves" project, and is now more closely associated to the Bellmawr Landfill redevelopment project. This was supposed to have started construction this year, but the announcement of the Bellmawr Landfill project has slowed this up a bit so that NJDOT can work with Bellmawr and the developer of the landfill to intelligently coordinate the efforts. My previous post has additional information on Missing Moves: http://www.courierpostonline.com/blogs/2007/02/bellmawr-waterfront-site-new-newsletter.html
If you have any comments on this project, or additional information... please post a blog comment or email me at markmatt@comcast.net
Thanks,
CrescentMark
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