Maple Ave. Dead End Discussion to Continue Tuesday

The will be continuing discussion on the construction of a permanent dead end on Maple Avenue, in Pine Brook, Tuesday.

Township officials sent a letter on Aug. 20 to residents who live in the area near where the dead end would be constructed, inviting them to attend and participate at the committee's public meeting Tuesday at 8 p.m. The committee has been since at least March after receiving input from residents who claimed in the area because of motorists traveling through the neighborhood to cut through between Route 80 and Route 46. A in the neighborhood and found that cars do often travel at high rates of speed through the streets.

In July, the township committee to block off the road. Last month, Maple Avenue resident Herb Eggers and his wife, Marie, said for them and urged the committee to move forward swiftly on a permanent solution.

At the Aug. 14 meeting, Assistant Township Engineer Mark Mantyla presented the committee with a design option which would not need the approval of two affected property owners the township has had trouble getting approval from to move forward with the project. In the plan he originally introduced, which would not need the permission of those property owners, a cul-de-sac with a 30-foot radius costing approximately $144,569 would be constructed. Mantyla said about $22,298 of that cost would be used for curbing and re-surfacing, although that portion could be removed from the project. This design plan included three-point turn legs on the cul-de-sac, which allow for a truck of up to 5 tons to turn on the street.

However, on Tuesday, Mantyla is expected to present a new cul-de-sac option, known as "Plan B," which does not include three-point turn legs, something the Eggers said is unneccessary because of the weight restriction on trucks coming down the street.

"Plan 'B' provides the ability for only passenger vehicles to negotiate a u-turn; however, based on the short distnce from the cul-de-sac to the nearest outlet street, Margaret Drive, and provided that the proposed signage is installed at the corner of Margaret Drive notifying trucks of the no outlet or turnaround, Plan 'B' is a reasonable alternative," Mantyla wrote in a letter to the mayor and township committee members.

To read more of Mantyla's letter, click here. Tuesday's meeting will be held at 8 p.m. at the Montville Municipal Building on Changebridge Road.