Sharon Station Road truck traffic called a safety issue Engineer: County plans to direct more trucks through route BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - At 5 a.m. every morning, the grilles in Ed Smires' windows rattle so much from nearby truck traffic that his kids think it's thunder. That's what Smires, who lives in the Woods at Cream Ridge development off Sharon Station Road, told two members of the governing body on June 22. The Township Committee could not have a formal meeting due to the lack of a quorum, but Mayor Stephen Fleischacker and Committeeman Sal Diecidue listened to complaints from residents of two subdivisions regarding truck traffic. Smires lives three houses off Sharon Station Road on Sleepy Hollow Court. He said he collected 30 of his neighbors' signatures in just one day for a letter of protest about the truck situation on Sharon Station Road. Smires, who has only lived in the township for a year and a half, said he has observed a tremendous increase in truck traffic and noise since he moved in. He said the trucks travel in excess of the 50-mph speed limit, which is only posted in two areas of the road. To make matters worse, Smires said, parts of the road do not have lines. He said it is difficult to make a left-hand turn out of his development onto Sharon Station Road because drivers often encounter two vehicles passing one another. Smires added that he never sees N.J. State Police vehicles on the road looking for speeders. Smires said the school bus stop is at the Sleepy Hollow Court/Sharon Station Road intersection. "I won't let my kids stand on the corner of Sharon Station Road," he said. "That's insane." Smires said he spoke to the school district transportation coordinator, who told him the bus cannot enter the development because the road is narrow and the turning radius for the bus is difficult. While Diecidue and residents of the Galloping Brook development have supported the idea of an interchange off Sharon Station Road to Route I-195 to solve some traffic problems, Smires said that would make the traffic situation worse for his own neighborhood. Diecidue said the township needs to ask Plumsted Township Mayor Ron Dancer if that community could put up signs that would direct truck traffic down Route 537 to I-195 rather than to Route 539 and Sharon Station Road. Township Engineer Glenn Gerken said the township could also ask the county - which is scheduled to take ownership from the municipality of Sharon Station Road - for a speed-limit change to the lowest possible level. When asked if the county could withdraw its planned takeover of the roadway, Gerken said the county's intention is to direct more traffic to Sharon Station Road rather than through the middle of Allentown. Gerken said the county owns two bridges and one culvert on the road, all of which it plans to replace next year. Diecidue said the township is trying to have the county take over the road because of the heavy truck use that is damaging it. He also said the county likes to have county roads connect to other county roads. Township Attorney Granville Michael Magee said residents should bring their objections about Sharon Station Road before the Board of Freeholders. Fleischacker suggested Smires and concerned neighbors contact the Board of Education to discuss the safety issue regarding the buses. Smires asked if that is his job or the township's job. Fleischacker explained that the Board of Education is a separate governing body. It was noted that two large subdivisions off Sharon Station Road have recently received Planning Board approval. The first, 56-lot phase of Perl Acres will be built at the corner of Sharon Station Road and has received final approval. The 96-lot Taft development, which will go up on Sharon Station and Davis Station roads, has preliminary approval.