The Pinelands Commission has voted to move forward with a new traffic circle at the intersection of Willow Grove and Stokes roads in Shamong.
The pending project is an initiative from Burlington County intended to improve the safety and function of the intersection. But it has sparked controversy and concern over the last couple of years, including worries about its impact on the home value of nearby residents, loud and congested construction and worse traffic.
Other concerns are the project’s financial impact on taxpayers and potential harm to the Pinelands environment.
Several residents addressed some concerns at the Shamong Township committee meeting on June 9. Mayor Michael Di Croce said he and other committee members understood their positions, but added that the project involves the county and not the township.
“I’ve adamantly been against it,” noted Di Croce, adding that he got in touch with the county when the plan was originally proposed and suggested alternatives to a circle: installing lights, erecting larger stop signs and creating a four-way stop intersection.
“It’s not a Shamong road,” the mayor confirmed. “It’s a county road, so we don’t have any control.”
Deputy Mayor Brian Woods echoed the mayor and encouraged concerned residents to attend meetings of the county and Pinelands Commission to express their concerns, given that Shamong no longer has a direct say in the matter.
“Those are two county roads,” he explained. “We can all be opposed to it, and it doesn’t matter. This decision is being made by the county, so I’m trying to get people there that disagree with it, because that’s where they need to go.”
A few residents took the advice of the mayor and deputy mayor and attended the Pinelands Commission meeting on June 12.
The commission invited county engineer Joseph Brinkley to address the county’s findings and reasons for moving forward with the circle. He referenced traffic studies conducted in 2017 that support the benefits of circles and provided maps and sketches for in-person meeting attendees and those online.
They showed how the current intersection of Willow Grove and Stokes roads will have signage advising drivers to slow as they approach.
“I can’t stress it enough: Your stop signs, flashing lights, traffic signals – they are traffic control measures,” Brinkley pointed out. (The circle) is a safety countermeasure.”
Brinkley said other countermeasures will involve long-term safety improvement and will likely decrease the number of crashes and other dangers at the intersection. But while traffic control can be helpful, he added, it will not have the same benefit as a circle.
The Pinelands Commission voted unanimously to move forward with the project. More details on the new circle – including a timeline – are to come.
