By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE City officials have said they are pleased with the improved safety offered by the Atlantic Avenue road diet, which was completed in 2021.
Although it was much maligned by some motorists and residents before and while the work was being done, the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers saw fit to award it first place in a recent statewide engineering competition.
According to Police Chief Matthew Hankinson, the project was successful in calming traffic and improving safety, and traffic flows smoothly. However, some motorists have been using the widened bike lanes to make right-hand turns at intersections.
Residents will experience a little more inconvenienced Friday and Saturday as a crew comes into town to paint additional markings to better identify the bike lanes between Fredricksburg and Huntington avenues. Motorists are advised to follow any posted changes to the normal traffic pattern and use caution when passing workers.
The road diet redesigned the four-lane roadway from two lanes in each direction to one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane and widened bicycle lanes, increasing safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
The city will be adding more color to the bike lanes to better identify them as off-limits to vehicles and further improve safety for bicyclists, strollers and pedestrians who use the lanes for exercise.
The bike lanes will be striped with green paint according to NJ Department of Transportation standards to better delineate the lanes for motorists.
The city received a $306,620 local aid grant this year to fund the project. Traffic Lines, Inc. was awarded a $266,652 contract to do the work.
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