Rural roads turn into major trucking routes

BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP & JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writers

SCOTT PILLING staff Upper Freehold residents who live in Galloping Brook stand at the entrance of their development talking about how their area of town has become a direct route for truck traffic driving through the state. The realignment of Sharon Station Road in Upper Freehold has caused an uproar among some residents.

Several residents who live in the Galloping Brook development off Route 526 attended the June 1 Township Committee meeting to voice complaints about increasing truck traffic through their area of town. They also addressed how the county's realignment of Sharon Station Road could increase the traffic, which causes unwanted noise and pollution.

The trucks use alternate Route 526 (CR 526 ALT), which locals call the easterly bypass. The bypass, which ends in an intersection directly in front of the Galloping Brook development, allows truck and other traffic to skirt around downtown Allentown to get to Sharon Station Road and Route 539, which lead to South Jersey.

Megan Miller, who lives in Galloping Brook, showed members of the governing body a video she took of trucks speeding in the area. The video was taken from a neighbor's backyard.

SCOTT PILLING staff A group of Upper Freehold residents who live in the Galloping Brook development discuss the increase in truck traffic in their neighborhood because of the opening of alternate Route 526. "Within one minute, eight trucks came barreling through," Miller said. "It's become a real problem."

Between 300 and 400 trucks already pass by her development each day, Miller said, and she is concerned that the traffic will increase with the realignment of Sharon Station Road.

"Many residents are not aware that the county is going to realign the road so that all the traffic from Route 539 feeds onto Sharon Station Road," Miller said. "The town plans to make Sharon Station Road a county road."

Miller said she would like the township to keep Sharon Station Road in its jurisdiction to reduce the number of trucks on that road.

"The amount of dump trucks and tractor-trailers that are using the bypass and Sharon Station Road has increased dramatically," Miller said. "I have been working with the township to see what can be done, but the word needs to get out about this problem."

Miller said Councilman Salvatore Diecidue has helped residents burdened with excessive truck noise since the

opening of alternate Route 526 in 2003. She said Diecidue has led efforts to quiet the area by reducing speed limits from 50 mph to 40 mph along Route 526, having "No Engine Brake" signs installed and leading efforts for a Sharon Station Road access from I-195.

"Mr. Diecidue should be commended for his tenacity and hard work in these undertakings," Miller said. "All three elements took considerable time and effort and overcame many 'no's' in support of our concerns."

Miller said the township must do more to enforce its "No Engine Brake" ordinance. She said she would also like the Township Committee to consider prohibiting trucks on Sharon Station Road in order to alleviate the truck traffic further up Route 526.

Miller said the issue is affecting her neighborhood's quality of life. When she moved to her home, she said, it was quiet.

"Now it's a major truck site through the state of New Jersey," she said. "Trucks come from Ocean County and use our town as a major bypass. The area has really suffered."

Committeeman David Reed said his office is near the easterly bypass.

"I can't stand the bypass," he said. "I can't get out of my office in the morning."

Deputy Mayor William Miscoski, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Mayor Stephen Fleischacker, said that trucks use the alternate route to get to different sand and gravel pits in the area, as they must get there somehow.

"If they are not allowed to go [down Sharon Station Road], they must go 20 miles out of their way," he said.

Miscoski said that with the high price of gas, the state trucking association, the N.J. Motor Truck Association located in East Brunswick, would probably "come in with one hell of a lawsuit"" against the township if it closed Sharon Station Road to truck traffic.

Committeeman Stephen Alexander - who is currently serving in Iraq and was on speakerphone - said, "You can't stop the trucking industry. That would interfere with interstate commerce. The 11th amendment says you can't do that."

Alexander said it is possible to lower the speed limit on Sharon Station Road, making it less attractive to truckers. He noted that several large developments will soon be built in the Sharon Station Road vicinity, making it a residential rather than a rural area.

Alexander said that given the involvement of federal, state and county agencies, creating an interchange is a long way off.

Miscoski said that while lowering the speed limit is a good idea, it took the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) "forever" to lower the speed limit to 35 mph near Byron Johnson Park.

Township Business Administrator Barbara Bascom said that several years ago, the township met with the DOT to keep truck traffic off local rural roads. She said that a 10-ton weight limit was placed on many township roads, and that heavier trucks were directed to Sharon Station Road and Route 526.

Galloping Brook Resident William Truesdale said he and his neighbors do not have anything against truckers. However, he said there is no need for the drivers to use their engine brakes when turning at the intersection near their development. He also wants the township to better enforce its "No Engine Brake" ordinance.

Truesdale said the N.J. State Police have patrolled the bypass, but that a trooper told him they do not have the manpower to patrol the area as often as residents would like them to.

Truesdale said when he and his wife are sitting near each other in their pool, they cannot hear one another talk when a truck goes by.

He said that none of the trucks causing problems is from local firms EME and Clayton because members of the Township Committee have discussed the braking issue with local businesses and they have been complying.

Miscoski alleged that many truckers who are at fault are independent truckers, "the hot dogs."

"There is no need to engine-brake to slow a truck down," Truesdale said. "Some truck drivers are like kids with hotrods - they just use the engine brakes because they like the sound [of them]."

Although there is a berm, a fence and trees around his property, he still hears trucks go by his home all day long. The trucks have to stop at the intersection and then turn left or right. Truesdale said truckers must shift gears eight to 10 times within one-quarter of a mile in order to make the turn and that he hears every gear change.

Truesdale said he sometimes feels like he's living at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike.

"The wind carries the sound and the pollution," Truesdale said. "Since the bypass opened, our houses are turning black."

Although the township has an ordinance preventing the use of the engine brakes, Truesdale questions if anyone is enforcing it.

"Are tickets being handed out?" Truesdale asked.

Miller said the trucks are usually the loudest from 5 to 8:30 a.m. on weekdays. She also expressed concern about the trucks idling at the sandwich shop and gas station on Old York Road. The number of trucks idling at the site is an "eyesore," according to Miller.

Miscoski said that state law calls for heavy fines for idling trucks.

Miller said she has contacted the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and has submitted a complaint about the idling.

Miscoski advised her to call the state police every day whenever she saw trucks idling there. He said signs prohibiting idling are meaningless.

"The state police need to enforce the law," he said.

Reed said he also saw truckers breaking the law on a daily basis.

Diecidue said that if Township Engineer Glenn Gerken is available, the committee could discuss the issue at its June 15 workshop meeting. He also suggested meeting with Galloping Brook residents at the municipal building on June 10.

Bascom said the committee would have to take any action regarding Sharon Station Road soon, as the county is proceeding with its plans for improvements to the Route 539/Sharon Station Road intersection.

Bascom said the county, which began work on the intersection on June 5, will close only half of Sharon Station Road during the project so traffic can still pass through.

Information about the work schedule may be found on the township Web site at www.uftnj.com.