The Hopewell Township Committee has given its approval for Hopewell Borough to install a series of transverse rumble striping on Hopewell-Wertsville Road at the approach to the municipal boundary of both communities.
The rumble striping on the approach into the borough is intended to reduce vehicle speeds as the speed limit decreases from 40 miles-per-hour (mph) to 25 mph.
Hopewell-Wertsville Road leads into North Greenwood Avenue in Hopewell Borough.
“This is in response to a request from the Borough of Hopewell. This resolution authorizes the installation of transverse rumble striping on Hopewell-Wertsville Road near the municipal boundary. The traffic calming measures are intended to reduce vehicle speeds as motorists enter the borough’s lower speed zone,” Township Engineer Wendy Birkhead said during the Township Committee’s Sept. 14 meeting.
“All installation and maintenance costs will be the responsibility of the borough subject to the township engineers review and approval.”
The township does plan on paving Hopewell-Wertsville Road soon.
“They are aware of that so we may or may not see this put in right away. The timing may align with the paving,” Mayor David Chait said.
Birkhead added how Boswell Engineering is the engineer with the borough and that they are in the process of doing the design plans for the rumble striping project.
“I have let them know that we do have part of this road out to bid, gave them the plans, and let them know that they need to work with us on timing,” she said.
Transverse rumble strips are used to alert drivers of a need to slow down or stop, or to other upcoming changes that a driver may not be anticipating, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The agency states that rumble strips are placed in the travel lane perpendicular to the direction of travel. They can be grooves placed in the roadway surface that transmit sound and vibration to alert drivers or can be plastic bumps or ribs to the road.
