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Residents press Bernards Township to act on Allen Road safety; committee says county coordination underway
Summary
Multiple residents urged immediate action on Allen Road, citing speeding and visibility hazards and a recent fatality; township leaders said the road is a high priority but noted it is a county road and that solutions require coordination with Somerset County.
Multiple residents urged Bernards Township officials at the Dec. 9 committee meeting to move quickly on safety improvements for Allen Road, which runs through Basking Ridge and several neighboring municipalities.
"Something could be done about it ASAP because it's putting people's lives in danger," said Sanjay Gupta, a Rivier Drive resident, during the public comment period, describing visibility and speeding problems. Nancy Dandrea, a Vandervir Drive resident, asked about the availability of a police report following a recent fatal incident and described sections of narrow, half-paved roadway where ice forms in winter.
The comments followed earlier remarks from Anandra (provided name and address in the record) requesting an update on the township's work to improve Allan/Allen Road safety. Residents asked the township to pursue near-term fixes and long-term solutions to reduce crash risk.
Deputy Mayor McN acknowledged the concerns and said the road "remains among our highest priorities in town" but noted that the route is a county road. "We are working, exploring different avenues to improve safety on Allen Road," the deputy mayor said, adding the township must coordinate with county officials and its own professionals to identify lasting solutions rather than only short-term measures.
The committee recorded several public suggestions, including improved signage, engineering changes for visibility, and intermunicipal coordination with neighboring Bedminster and county agencies, but did not adopt any new formal motion at the meeting. Officials urged residents to continue submitting observations and offered to pursue follow-up with the county and the police department about the fatal crash report that was mentioned during public comment.
Next procedural steps noted at the meeting: township staff will continue to gather resident input and consult professionals; any proposed traffic-calming measures or engineering changes requiring county approval will be discussed with Somerset County representatives. The committee did not set a formal deadline for action in public session.
