By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
LONGPORT Dissatisfied with a recent traffic study on the effects of neighboring Margate's plans to change the traffic pattern on Amherst Avenue, the Longport Board of Commissioners said Wednesday they want to hear from residents about the change.
Margate will be changing the two-way traffic on Amherst to one-way toward Longport to accommodate improvements to the bayfront Marina District, which includes building a promenade along the Amherst Avenue bulkhead. The roadway will be repaved and restriped to include a bike lane sometime in April. The city hopes the project will be completed by summer. Additionally, Lamberti's restaurant is in the process of rebuilding at their site near the Margate-Longport border. Amherst Avenue has a two-way configuration in Longport.
The documentation we received is incomplete, Mayor Nicholas Russo said at the March 17 commission meeting.
Administrator A. Scott Porter said traffic engineer Sandy Koze of McMahon Associates, Inc. failed to state how the traffic pattern change would affect the flow of traffic into Longport.
McMahon was selected to perform the study after a group of residents on Sunset Avenue used the company to investigate a different traffic issue in their neighborhood. Porter said that former borough engineer Richard Carter was impressed with their work on that project.
McMahon's contract awarded in January was not to exceed $5,000. The borough has not yet received a request for payment. Porter said Thursday afternoon that he has reached out to Koze for more information but hasn't received a response.
Borough officials are concerned the change in traffic pattern will negatively affect property owners living near where Amherst Avenue flows into Longport, between 36th and 31st avenues.
Russo said one option neighbors have suggested is to restrict the flow of traffic into Longport on Amherst Avenue by installing a Do Not Enter sign at the Margate border, forcing traffic onto Coolidge Avenue.
Recently hired engineer Ed Dennis of Remington & Vernick, who also works as the engineer in Margate, attended his first meeting in Longport on Wednesday. Although he did not engineer Margate's roadway redesign and promenade project, he agreed McMahon's study did not address a potential increase in traffic and ways to mitigate it.
He said he would review the study and report back to the commission at its next meeting on April 21.
Meanwhile, Margate was prepared to introduce an ordinance Thursday changing the direction of traffic to westbound only from Washington to Coolidge Avenue. However, the ordinance was pulled from the agenda, giving Longport more time for its investigation.
Longport Commissioner Dan Lawler said the borough may have wasted time and money on the study and that some residents have expressed concerns about an influx of traffic into their neighborhood, but others may not know about it. About 100 homes could be affected, he said.
Hopefully, we can have some conclusion&by Memorial Day, he said. We need to move on it sooner than later.
Lawler said he would like to foster transparency and hear from residents before any action is taken.
Longport Solicitor Michael Affanato said the commission could set a time and date for a special meeting to hear from residents.
Once (Margate) passes their ordinance on second reading, it's a pain in the neck to change it. If we want to propose changes to Margate, we need to let them know, he advised.
Affanato said that Margate's plan to calm traffic on Amherst, install angled parking and a bicycle lane would only work if the traffic flows in one direction, but changes could be made to have the traffic flow toward Washington Avenue instead.
A traffic study conducted by Margate last year indicated most of the traffic on Amherst flows toward Longport.
Porter said despite the conflict between the two municipalities, their relationship remains strong.
Both communities this week approved ordinances to share court operations at Margate's Historic City Hall, which has a state-of-the-art courtroom setup.
We have a very close relationship with our sister city. We are just protecting our interests and want to know what impact it will have and how we can address it, he said.
Russo said the borough is planning to distribute flyers in the neighborhood to inform residents about attending a meeting and hear from representatives of the Police and Fire departments, however, the date has not been set.
We want to look at the impact and make the transition as painless as possible, Russo said. It's only human nature that people don't like change and may be resistant.
Nevertheless, Russo said he is excited about Margate's project, which he believes will be a benefit for the entire area.
It will be great for the marine industry and to enjoy the beauty of sunsets on the bay while dining out, he said.
Russo welcomed the opportunity to speak with residents on the phone or via email.
To weigh-in on the issue, call Mayor Nicholas Russo at 609-823-2731, ext. 100 or email [email protected].
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https://www.downbeach.com/2020/11/12/margate-to-award-contract-to-build-amherst-avenue-promenade/
https://www.downbeach.com/2020/09/12/margate-ready-to-start-the-bidding-process-for-the-amherst-avenue-promenade/
https://www.downbeach.com/2020/06/09/margate-to-study-one-way-traffic-on-amherst-avenue/
https://www.downbeach.com/2019/03/26/lambertis-ready-to-rebuild-on-the-amherst-avenue-waterfront/
