Safety upgrades for Route 539 in Ocean County will get support in the form of increased enforcement and awareness efforts by police in Manchester and neighboring communities along the danger-prone highway.

10/7/14 Crash on Route 539 (Manchester Police Dept.)
10/7/14 Crash on Route 539 (Manchester Police Dept.)
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According to Manchester PD Chief Lisa Parker, the eight miles of the county road in her township yields a high proportion of crashes on it - 36 so far in 2015, 32 in 2014, 50 in 2013 and 53 in 2012.

"Collectively, all the jurisdictions in Ocean County that cover Route 539 are committed to addressing safety on the roadway," Parker said in a prepared statement. "The three-prong approach includes strictly enforcing laws, educating the public regarding the roadway's dangers, and working with County Engineers to improve roadway safety," Parker said

Overturned dump truck, Route 539 (Manchester PD)
Overturned dump truck, Route 539 (Manchester PD)
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County officials have begun the bidding process for a federally-funded improvement project estimated to cost about $3.4 million, scheduled to begin in 2016. The goal is to reduce wet-weather collisions, center-line crossover crashes and sideswipes from the Parkway in Little Egg Harbor to Horicon Avenue in Manchester.

Components include high-friction paving and solar LED warning signs at six curves, center rumble strips, reflective striping, and raised pavement markers.

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