Reacting to a series of accidents and complaints by local residents and merchants, the city of Union City, Hudson County executives and the Hudson County Engineer’s office have urged the installation of green arrow lights, new painted lines and plastic stanchions (known as "Superducks" in the traffic sign business) at the intersection of 26th street and Kennedy Boulevard.
This addition will allow vehicles attempting to make left-hand turns off of Kennedy Boulevard onto 26th street to do so in a safe manner. As it stood, anyone attempting to make the turn had the chance of an accident since the road bends at that point, making visibility difficult.
Said Union City Mayor Brian Stack, "For some time, residents in the area of 26th street and Kennedy Boulevard have been complaining about this intersection. They told us drivers making left turns from both directions [northbound and southbound] have been causing a hazard for pedestrians and other drivers."
County Executive Tom DeGise said, "Obviously, this pre-dates me, but we tried to move on this quickly. It needed to be done as quickly as possible. This is a band-aid, but we need to look at traffic patterns in the whole area in a holistic manner." Added DeGise, "I’m a Jersey City boy and I always thought that the traffic was bad there. But the traffic in the North Hudson area is the worst in Hudson County. Especially here, the new mall [in North Bergen] has exacerbated the problem on the Boulevard."
Records indicate that in the last six months, there have been 22 motor vehicle accidents. One of the accidents was fatal.
The danger to pedestrians is obvious. Anyone attempting to cross 26th street not only puts himself in danger, but any vehicle making the turn would then have to wait for that pedestrian to cross, effectively leaving the vehicle sitting in the middle of Kennedy Boulevard.
According to Billy Green, a worker with Garden State Highway Services of Vineland New Jersey, new signs will be put up as well.
"The signs going up are ‘No stopping or standing’ and ‘Left lane must turn left,’" says Green. "Also, the superducks will act as traffic delineators."
According to Union City Police Officer Magali Corral, who was directing traffic at the intersection on a recent morning, "There will be no more parking on Kennedy Boulevard in this area. It’s just going to be painted yellow and no more parking will be permitted." Added Corral, "I never understood parking here anyway. It’s so narrow."
According to Officer Corral, ever since the A&P closed at 1425 Kennedy Blvd., all the traffic that used to be there is now moving through the intersection north towards the newer shopping center in North Bergen on the north side of Route 495. Says Corral, "It’s crazy."
The workers at the Exxon Station on the corner of 26th and Kennedy have seen their share of accidents. Said owner Manuel Tosca, "There are many accidents here."
Francisco Rafael, one of Tosca’s employees, said matter-of-factly, "You don’t have to go to the movies to see crashes. Just stand here for a while." He related a story of seeing an elderly woman struck by a car just last week. "She went ‘Whoosh’," he stated, making a "flying" gesture with his hand, indicating that the woman had become airborne after being hit. But, he added, "I think these sings will help a hell of a lot."
The project contractor is Kevco Services and the lines are being painted by Traffic Lines, Inc. of Farmingdale, N.J.
Said Union City Commissioner Christopher Irizarry, "This is excellent for Union City. We received so many complaints from residents around here. It’s a great relief and its nice to see government working so quickly."
The work will be completed Tuesday, Nov. 26, according to Union City public relations officer Gayle Kaufman.