MIDDLETOWN – Middletown Township is ready to make another round of improvements aimed at further enhancing pedestrian safety and accessibility in Lincroft Village, one of the township’s four neighborhood commercial districts. Lincroft Village is located along Route 520, which is locally known as Newman Springs Road.

Township engineers are currently preparing bid specifications for the improvement project, which totals $250,000. The project entails extension of a sidewalk along Route 520 and phase one improvements to nearly six-acre township park located on Route 520 and Old Phalanx Road, said Mayor Rosemarie D. Peters.

The sidewalk will be extended from the Lincroft Library, which is branch of the township’s library system, to the post office. A sidewalk currently exists from the intersection of Middletown Lincroft Road and Route 520 to the library, Peters said. She noted plans to extend the sidewalk stem from suggestions made by area residents during neighborhood meetings.

Phase one improvements to the township-owned park, commonly referred to as the Lincroft Green, will include installation of walkways to provide pedestrian access to the recreation area, the mayor said. She noted the township swapped a .9-acre portion of Middletown’s Thompson Park for the nearly six-acre tract previously owned by Brookdale as part of an ongoing effort to protect open space and manage growth.

The township expects to seek bids on the improvement project this October. Funding for the project comes from state legislative grants secured by state Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, and Assemblymen Joseph Azzolina and Samuel Thompson.

These planned improvements are the latest in a series designed to enhance pedestrian safety and accessibility and to improve the aesthetic qualities of Lincroft Village.

Earlier this year, the township, in cooperation with Monmouth County, installed flashing school speed limit signs along Route 520 adjacent to Lincroft Elementary School to alert motorist they must reduce their speed from 50 mph to 25 mph within in the school zone, as required by state law.  The beacons are programmed to activate 30 minutes prior to the start of the school day and 15 minutes prior to the end of the school day. The beacons run for 45 minutes once activated, Peters said.

The traffic signals were adjusted at the intersection of Route 520 and Hurley’s Lane in 2001 to include an exclusive pedestrian phase during which traffic stops in all directions for a full 28 seconds.  This change was made in response to concerns raised by many residents, especially senior citizens who reside at Luftman Towers, that there was not previously enough time allotted to cross the busy intersection safely.

Road improvements, landscaping and decorative lighting have also been added to the area as part of a streetscape plan developed by Middletown Township with input from the Lincroft Village Task Force, an advisory body consisting of residents, business owners and township officials.

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Contact: Cindy Herrschaft, PIO
Telephone: (732) 615-2287