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Council hears timeline, costs for Jackson and Erie signal; 4‑way stop raised as interim option
Summary
Borough engineer and administrator told the Rutherford Borough Council that a traffic signal at Jackson and Erie meets safety thresholds but likely remains at least 18 months away under the county queue; a four‑way stop and local funding were discussed as interim or accelerating options.
Brian, the borough engineer, told the Rutherford Borough Council that a county traffic study and crash records show the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Erie Avenue has a recurring safety problem and that a traffic signal is technically justified.
“On January 27, the 23 record of, crashes was uploaded to the state police's, safety voyager. And with 23 up, it showed about 14 accidents at Jackson and Erie,” Brian said, and later added that “there were 53 accidents there in the last 3 years,” figures he said support a signal from a traffic‑engineering perspective.
That technical justification does not mean the signal will be built quickly. Brian said the county advances two to three signal projects a year and that the borough is in the county queue; he told the council he still sees the project “a minimum of 18 months out.”
Borough Administrator Bob, who said he and the police chief had met with county engineering, offered a similar expectation. “In reading between the lines, I would say at the earliest they're going to be working on our project is 2026,” Bob said, describing competing county priorities and the time required for procurement, bid, award and construction.
Council members asked about interim steps and whether the borough could pay to speed construction. Brian said a four‑way stop is an accepted interim measure under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices when a signal is justified, and that the borough could request the county to implement it. He cautioned that a full signal installed to county standards would be substantially more expensive.
Brian estimated the traffic signal cost “in the $750,000 range” and said design is complicated by required grade changes tied to a planned linear county park; he warned that building without final elevation data could produce costly errors. He also said that if the borough paid to build a county‑standard signal, it might not be reimbursed.
Council members and staff emphasized options: pressing the county to move the project up the queue, proposing a four‑way stop as an interim safety measure, or financing a signal locally — each with tradeoffs on cost, timing and coordination with county park plans.
The council did not take formal action on the intersection tonight; discussion closed with direction to continue coordination with county engineering and the police department.
