"Traffic Calming" Project Proposed for Congested Sea Isle-Strathmere Corridor

By Donald Wittkowski During the busy summer months, the narrow corridor between Sea Isle City and Strathmere becomes congested with motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and even diamondback terrapins. The three-mile roadway is dotted with a series of yellow signs warning motorists to be careful of the bikers, pedestrians and, yes, the turtles, in hopes of avoiding accidents. Now, Cape May County plans to restripe this stretch of Landis Avenue-Commonwealth Avenue as part of a “traffic calming measure” to keep pedestrians and bikers out of harm’s way. Sea Isle’s elected leaders gave their endorsement for the project during the City Council meeting on Tuesday. “I think there will be much more safety in that area, especially during the busy summer,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio said. Desiderio, who is also a county freeholder, noted that the restriping plan has already been discussed at a series of public meetings and hearings. He said that some residents of Strathmere appeared at a recent freeholder meeting to express their support for the project. Sea Isle Council President Jack Gibson said he likes how the restriping plan will create wider, protective buffers for pedestrians and bikers by eliminating parking along parts of the road. Wider buffers created by the restriping plan will help to protect bikers from motor vehicle traffic. The project includes restriping the roadway from 29th Street in Sea Isle to Putnam Avenue in Strathmere. Parking would be taken away on the east side of the road between 26th and 22nd streets in Sea Isle. North of 22nd Street, the project “flips” by eliminating parking on the west side of the road, said Robert Church, the county’s newly appointed engineer. “The project also includes the addition of numerous warning and pedestrian signs and enhanced pedestrian cross walks and markings,” Church wrote in an Aug. 31 letter to George Savastano, Sea Isle’s business administrator. Overall, the restriping plan will improve safety by acting as a “traffic calming measure along the roadway,” Church added. The county controls the roadway, which is variously known as Ocean Drive and Route 619. The part that runs through Sea Isle is called Landis Avenue. In the Strathmere section of Upper Township, the road is known as Commonwealth Avenue. Pedestrians also share space with cars and trucks on the narrow three-mile corridor. For Sea Isle, Landis Avenue is a key artery for the beach town. The eight-month shutdown of the aged Townsends Inlet Bridge for repairs has left Landis Avenue and Sea Isle Boulevard as the only ways on and off the barrier island now. The Landis Avenue-Commonwealth Avenue corridor’s beachside location makes it a popular route for cars, bicyclists and pedestrians during the summer vacation season. However, all that activity squeezed into the narrow lanes creates hazards. A lack of sidewalks makes it even trickier for bikers and walkers. Michael Dannemiller, principal engineer for NV5, a consulting firm that is studying the project for the county, said there were 16 motor vehicle accidents on this stretch of road between 2012 and 2016. In 2016, a bicyclist was killed by a car in Upper Township. Two pedestrians were injured when they were hit by cars, Dannemiller said. The county wants to line up support from Sea Isle and Upper Township officials before starting the restriping plan. Although Sea Isle officials support the plan, Upper Township’s elected leaders have been expressing concerns about eliminating scarce amounts of parking along a road popular with Strathmere’s beachgoers. Previously, county officials estimated the cost of the restriping plan at between $200,000 and $250,000. The work is expected to get underway by late fall or early next spring. Turtles that cross the road during the summer nesting season are another thing that motorists must worry about while traveling between Sea Isle and Strathmere.