Funding Lacking For Plan To Improve Safety On Hamburg Turnpike
WAYNE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The Hamburg Turnpike in New Jersey is dangerous, and a plan to fix it up has been in place for decades – but with very little means to do it.
As WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported, since 2009, people have been hurt in some 1,500 crashes on one 5 1/2-mile stretch of the Hamburg Turnpike through Wayne, N.J.
Funding Lacking For Plan To Improve Safety On Hamburg Turnpike
"It's always been a dangerous road and it's proven it," said Passaic County Freeholder Terry Duffy.
Plans were drawn up almost 40 years ago to widen and improve the winding road, which goes from four lanes to three, and then back to four lanes. But funding it was largely left to Passaic County.
"So went to turn every stone unturned to find the financing," he said.
Plans to add jughandles, medians and lanes add up, even though a mile's worth of the work is done.
"And it appears slowly to some people, but it's a huge project, it's a very expensive project," Murphy said.
Costs could run up to $100 million, said Duffy, who is on the Public Works Committee. He said they are asking local representatives in Congress to bring in federal dollars.
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