The Route 22 Median Openings project is located in the Townships of Clinton, Readington, and Branchburg as well as the Borough of Lebanon in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties on Route 22 from Exxon Access Road (MP 19.90) to Station Road (MP 30.67).
NJDOT identified a need for a corridor study of this section of Route 22 to determine how to properly mitigate the safety and operational concerns for the 38 unsignalized median openings. The lack of storage lanes at unsignalized median openings creates an operational and safety problem when vehicles waiting to turn left or U-turn spill over and block the left through lane of Route 22 eastbound and westbound directions.
After completing studies of existing conditions, the project need is to improve safety and operations along Route 22 by developing a corridor-wide plan that determines appropriate locations for median openings and designs them to accommodate the intended traffic movements and the vehicle classifications that will use the openings.
The Proposed Project
Existing conditions analysis showed that median openings with higher turning movement traffic volumes and increased conflicts (e.g., Route 22 mainline turns and cross-street access at the same median opening) had higher crash frequency. To improve safety and operations along the corridor this project proposes changes to all the median openings in the corridor either through closure, modification, signalization and/or relocation. Median opening modifications will include providing dedicated left-turn storage lanes on Route 22 approaching the median openings to separate turning traffic from the through traffic. This modification will reduce potential conflicts of Route 22 vehicles waiting to make their turn and the Route 22 mainline traffic.
Median opening modifications will include Reduced Left-Turn Conflict Intersection geometric design, a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Proven Safety Countermeasure. This type of intersection design simplifies decision-making for drivers and minimizes the potential for higher severity crash types, such as head-on and angle.