By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
The words “Stop Ahead” are painted on the road in white letters so big that it is virtually impossible for drivers not to see them as they approach the intersection of 44th Street and Central Avenue.
As another safety measure, new stop signs with LED flashing red lights have been installed at all four corners of the intersection to give motorists plenty of warning to come to a full stop.
All of these improvements and more are part of Sea Isle City’s recently completed overhaul of the busy intersection to make it safer for drivers and pedestrians.
“I think it will improve it drastically,” Police Chief Anthony Garreffi predicted of the intersection becoming safer.
Now, 44th and Central is expected to serve as a model for safety improvements at two other intersections in town that also have four-way stops, Garreffi said.
The intersections of 44th Street and Park Road and 63rd Street and Central Avenue will likely be upgraded after the summer tourism season.
Sea Isle officials were inspired to quickly overhaul the intersection of 44th and Central when local residents Alexis Keefer and her grandfather, Thomas Keefer, appeared at the June 13 City Council meeting to ask for traffic safety improvements.
The Keefers spoke about the challenges that Alexis has while traveling around town in her wheelchair, particularly when she crosses the intersection of 44th and Central, not far from her home on 43rd Street.
“Luckily, I’m careful when I go out … but this is a struggle,” Alexis told the Council members.
Right after the Council meeting, Mayor Leonard Desiderio, Garreffi and Brian Teefy, the city’s traffic maintenance supervisor, inspected the intersection to begin making plans for safety upgrades.
Shortly thereafter, a new bulb was installed in the overhead flashing red light at the intersection to make it more visible.
The city also improved visibility at the intersection by expanding the no-parking zones near 44th and Central. Yellow lines indicating no-parking zones have been extended.
“We opened up the line of vision by extending the no-parking zone,” Garreffi said.
Also, white lines for the pedestrian crosswalks were repainted. The city followed up by repainting the words “Stop Ahead” on the road to give drivers more warning that they are approaching the intersection.
“The ‘Stop Ahead’ stencil gets noticed immediately,” Garreffi said.
As one of the last safety improvements, the city installed the new stop signs that include LED flashing red lights at all four corners of the intersection.
Garreffi said 44th and Central doesn’t have a lot of accidents, but motorists often roll through the intersection without coming to a complete stop.
However, that is expected to change following the new safety improvements. Desiderio said he stood at the intersection one day last week for 20 minutes and every car he saw came to a complete stop during that time.
Garreffi noted that police will also continue with their aggressive enforcement of traffic laws at the intersection as another step to maintain safety.
Ultimately, the city would like to install a full-fledged traffic light at the intersection in place of the existing flashing red light. But first, a study must be done to see if a regular traffic light is warranted, Desiderio said.
