Sparta residents oppose proposed changes to Route 517

Officials now to pitch plan to Andover and Newton residents Sparta - Sussex County plans to drastically alter Newton-Sparta Road/Route 517 met with strong opposition from Sparta residents at last week’s Sparta Planning Board hearing. Citing safety concerns, current traffic congestion and the need to plan for future growth, the county has spent well over half a million dollars from state grant money to hire a consulting firm to conduct traffic surveys and develop a new road and traffic plan. Those plans, presented last week to the township planning board and to Sparta residents, calls for changes to be made in the roadway from Newton to the intersection of Route 517 and Sparta Avenue in Sparta. From the center of Newton to the intersection at Route 517 and Andover Road, the changes suggested include widening the road to allow for the addition of left-hand turning lanes, additional traffic lights and improvements to the entrances of Pinkneyville and Sussex Mill Roads. However, the most drastic changes in the proposal are focused on the section of roadway in Sparta between the Route 517/Andover Road intersection and the traffic light at Route 517 and Sparta Avenue. In that section of Route 517, the proposal calls for dividing the roadway, with jug handles at each end. The eastbound side would be widened to two lanes but the westbound would remain one lane, with a 14-foot wide median in between. In addition, South Shore and North Shore Trail, two main arteries leading in and out of the Lake Mohawk area, would be totally rerouted. South Shore Trail would become a one-way street allowing traffic to flow off of Route 517 only and North Shore Trail would flow Eastbound only onto Route 517 with no incoming traffic allowed. Residents living in a large section of Sparta would therefore be forced to drive Eastbound for a considerable distance and use a jug handle to head toward Newton. In addition, businesses in the Upper Lake Plaza would be affected, as only drivers already heading East from Newton or Andover would be able to drive into the commercial area. Those coming from any section of Sparta or surrounding areas would be forced drive out of their way and use the jug handle at the intersection of Route 517 and Andover Road, backtracking into the parking lot. More than 50 residents turned out at the hearing to voice their opinions, and the planning board was presented with petitions signed by more than 1,000 area residents protesting the plan. While most agreed that some changes such as widening the road to accommodate a turning lane are needed, most residents in attendance firmly and vocally objected to making any drastic changes. Addressing the planning board and the consultants, Spartans proposed alternatives such as lowering the speed limit to improve safety and making improvements to Limecrest Road to lighten the load. Approximately 22,000 cars use Route 517/Newton-Sparta Road on a daily basis with much of that traffic generated outside of Sparta. That number is expected to climb by about 4,000 additional vehicles in the next 10 to 15 years. Residents contended that, as Sparta is almost completely built out, additional traffic will be coming from surrounding areas and, therefore, those communities should share the roadway burden. Although the county claims there is also a safety issue behind the proposed changes, no statistical analysis was conducted by the consultants. There were approximately 220 non-deer related traffic accidents on the entire stretch of road designated for changes in a five-year period with over 40 million cars using the roadway during the same time frame. Although those numbers were often used to by the consultants to bolster their contention that the proposed changes to Route 517 are needed to improve safety and reduce accidents, there was no work done by them to put that figure into perspective as to how it relates in comparison to other heavily traffic roads in the state, or numerically what constitutes an unsafe designation. The county next takes the proposal to Newton and Andover for review. It is likely both municipalities will be in favor of the plan. While the Sparta Planning Board asked that changes be made to the plan reflecting residents concerns, it is not known if any will be made before the county goes to the N.J. Department of Transportation for funds to undertake the plan currently on the table.