Township to Take More Time to Assess Changes to Shunpike/Loantaka Intersection

The Township Committee will further study a proposal to remove a grass island from the intersection of Loantaka Way and Shunpike Road before approving it.

Morris County would be paying for and doing the work in this instance. The county wants to take out the grass island and create a T intersection, complete with a stop sign, where there is now a blind curve on Loantaka Way. The island is located on the eastern side of Loantaka where Shunpike ends.

Committee member William O'Connor said, however, that he wants the committee to take some more time to study the matter.

"I'm not so sure what they're proposing is going to work," he said. Later, he continued: "I'd hate to take the island out and come up with a solution that doesn't work."

Mayor Nicole Hagner said that because the road is a county road, the county will do the work. But she said the county will pay for the work, as long as both the township and Madison agree to the project. Seventy percent of the intersection is within Madison's borders.

County experts had decided that removing the island was important to ensure the safety of drivers at the crossing. It has been accident-prone over the years, and the change is intended to cut down the number of collisions there. At a January meeting, the committee supported the county's plan.

But O'Connor said he wanted to look at the plan a bit more closely.

"Let [Madison Borough Administrator Ray] Codey, your counterpart, know that we're going to do due diligence, and if it looks good, we'll approve it," O'Connor told Township Administrator Thomas Ciccarone.

Regardless, committee member Bailey Brower noted that it would be impossible to fully improve the situation, since there will be more and more development around the Harding area as time goes by, and traffic will continue to increase as a result.