By MICHAEL MOLINARO

The elephant in the room, or at least on the Garden State Parkway running through Southern Ocean County, may have motorists moving at the pace of either an elephant’s walk or a rumbling stampede as we move into the summer, with its annual advent of heavy tourist traffic.
With barriers cutting off shoulders, abrupt or unclear lane changes, contractor vehicles moving in and out of traffic, and temporary lane closings due to construction, combined with an increased level of potholes after a harsh winter, the Parkway is creating challenges for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the New Jersey State Police and local towing and emergency medical response vehicles, as well as its everyday drivers.

The NJTA owns and operates the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike, which together are one of the nation’s largest and busiest toll-road systems. They are funded only by toll revenue and their capacity to borrow, said spokesman Joe Orlando, much of which is going to current construction projects in our area, though specific numbers were not available.
The main project going on now is the widening of the Parkway, one lane in each direction, between Interchanges 80 and 63. This project also includes a new express E-ZPass at the southbound Barnegat Toll Plaza. Completion of the “Phase I widening” is scheduled for May 23, 2011, said Orlando. Further design is also in progress for the section between Interchanges 63 and 48.

In addition, improvements to Interchange 67 are under construction. This project, scheduled for completion Aug. 31 of this year, will reconstruct the bridge carrying West Bay Avenue over the Parkway and create new southbound entrance and northbound exit ramps.

“Both projects in Southern Ocean County are on time,” said Orlando.

Daily commuters such as A.J. Greco of Ship Bottom may feel that the widening project, which began in 2005 under Acting Gov. Richard Codey, is taking too long.

“It just seems like they took their sweet time with the road ‘improvements’ thus far. I don’t see nearly enough people working that stretch. Out of seven or eight different sites on the southbound side coming home, I see one crew, maybe two, out there working. We are doomed come Memorial Day weekend,” he concluded.

This summer should be the last in which we will have two lanes in the Southern Ocean County area, though it will be two lanes with various 45 mph speed-limit construction zones, and a plethora of hazards and conditions.

State troopers are looking for strict adherence to the signage posting the lower limit in the construction zones, where violations will always cost motorists double the fine, though not double the points.

“Ideally everybody should be doing the 45; that’s the law, and it’s our job to enforce it. The troopers are out there doing just that,” said Lt. Robert Hanley, who added, “It’s a dangerous situation.”

The NJTA is working closely with the state police to enforce the speed limit, though efforts may be limited and hazardous due to the lack of shoulders and interchanges. To help combat this, the NJTA has increased signage and is having state troopers do “slow-downs.” A marked car, which legally cannot be passed when its emergency lights are on, will stay at the 45 mph limit, sometimes between both lanes.

But motorists such as Laura Serpentelli of Manahawkin are noticing fewer troopers on the Parkway. “I for one would like to see more police, policing. They’re nowhere to be found when people are switching lanes at 80 mph.”

Most would agree the majority of drivers are not slowing down in the construction zones, especially when continuing from a 65 mph area, or when most of the drivers around them are maintaining a high speed. The question is then raised as to whether conforming to the 45 mph limit would in itself cause a safety issue.

“Unfortunately, no one pays attention to the 45 mph speed limit, and with no shoulder it gets a little tight, especially in the southbound – in the 70s” mile markers, said Bob Stohrer, owner of Stohrer’s Bros. Towing in Manahawkin, one of two towing companies contracted to respond to Parkway breakdowns and accidents in our area. Concerning the possible danger of doing so, he added, “They can always pass; of course, that’s going to create more lane changes, though.”
Kimberly Rose of Barnegat, who lives right next to the Parkway, is concerned about increased noise and safety risks.

“They cut down all the trees behind my house and are expanding the road. There is no guardrail, and there is nothing stopping a car from barreling through our back yard,” said Rose.

One common prediction is an increase in accidents on the Parkway this summer as the mammoth herd of traffic heads into the construction zones. Accidents such as the fatal crash at mile marker 67 in Barnegat on April 19 can happen from any number of reasons, and there is no way to keep statistics on how many are related directly to changes due to construction, explained Orlando.

“Just because an accident takes place within that zone does not mean that it is related to the project itself. It can be weather related, driver error, or other factors unrelated to construction. These statistics are not generally maintained.”

Stohrer confirmed that from what he has seen, such an increase has already begun. “There’s definitely more accidents,” he said. “There’s a lot of potholes, and we see a lot of tire punctures, stuff like that.”

Drivers on the Parkway remain concerned about conditions that range from those created by man, such as the barriers that cut off shoulders and make lanes tighter, to those that are out of human control, such as unforeseen changes in the elements.

“They definitely need to make the lanes wider where they’re doing construction. Every day people are swerving, especially in the rain,” said Shannon Coates of Surf City.

Though unsure, Lt. Hanley explained the barriers could possibly be switched to barrels in areas where a new lane or shoulder has finished being paved. However, he encouraged motorists in the meantime not only to be aware of the barriers at all times, but to continue on to designated emergency pull-offs if they must get off the road – from blowing a tire from a pothole, for example.
“If you’re experiencing difficulty, you have a chance to get over – even a flat tire. Drive on a flat tire until you can get over to the emergency pull-off so you can change your tire or wait for a tow truck. Always try to get out of the lane of travel if you can.”

Stohrer explained how his company has had to tow disabled vehicles right out of one of two already tightly compressed lanes of traffic due to the barriers.

“If there’s no median or another lane, we’re stuck in traffic. It takes longer to get to the vehicle,” he said. From what he has seen, he believes the Parkway has done a great job, rightfully fining drivers heavily. He believes the problem is a driver issue more than anything, with motorists not adjusting to conditions such as potholes or rain.

State troopers seem to agree that accidents are caused more by driver behavior than by the effect the construction zones may have. Some of the factors that have increased accidents recently range from not everyone in the car wearing a seatbelt, causing fatalities due to ejection from the backseat, to not leaving enough space in front of a vehicle in case construction vehicles pull out from the median.

They also cite cell phone use while driving as a pronounced issue, and they want to remind people that if accidents do happen, or if someone is pulled over, it is not an excuse to slow down and make a quick online video or photo album while driving by.

“Be alert,” said Hanley. “You have to be vigilant with your driving.”

The state police believe that in summertime the traffic will be so heavy, regardless of construction, that drivers will be going slowly through construction zones anyway, to lows of even 25 mph. “I know it’s a big inconvenience for everybody, but later on – you know, a year from now – everybody’s going to be grateful and safer,” said Hanley.

Current traffic levels can be seen on live feeds, from new cameras placed at several points on the Parkway by the NJTA, on its web site: http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/index.html. To date, the southernmost location for such a camera is Asbury Park, at mile marker 103.

Some more tech-savvy motorists such as Greg Molyneux of Manahawkin have used a GPS or Google Maps to find alternatives to the Parkway, such as Route 539, which he commutes on daily. He is worried his secret might be out as he has noticed motorists becoming wise to the fact that they could travel south on the turnpike, then get off at Exit 7 onto 195 East, then almost immediately diverge onto 539 South, which can take drivers to Route 70, then Route 72, and eventually to the Parkway at Exit 58.

Although he knows this county road could effectively help drivers bypass the Parkway stampede altogether, he also realizes that “this is going to mean devastation for my commute home on Friday afternoons.”

All in all, the race to LBI this summer may be one in which “slow and steady” is the best way overall to win.