SIGNAL COORDINATION: NJDOT begins $7.7 million traffic improvement project

A new Controlled Traffic Signal System (CTSS) will form the centerpiece of a series of measures implemented by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to improve traffic flow on S.R. 22 in Somerset and Union counties, the department announced last week.

The CTSS will allow NJDOT to coordinate 18 traffic signals along S.R. 22 from the Statewide Traffic Management Center (STMC) in Woodbridge. Signals will be completely replaced at five of the intersections, while seven others will receive modifications and geometric improvements. The full network will run from mile-marker 36.45 in Bridgewater to mile-marker 50.25 in Mountainside.

Contractor Daidone Electric Inc. will install fiber optic and wireless communication measures to connect the system back to the STMC. Other elements to the traffic relief system to be implemented include eight new traffic cameras and two new permanent electronic dynamic message signs.

Daidone Electric says that preliminary work has already begun, with the project scheduled for completion in summer 2014. Work will be conducted during regular business hours with minimal disruptions to traffic, even during peak hours.