The Personal Injury Attorney in Montvale, NJ, You Can Trust

17 October 2024

James Carone, Executive DirectorNew Jersey Turnpike AuthorityPO BOX 5042Woodbridge, NJ 07095-5042

RE: Request for Re-evaluation of Turn Restriction at GSP Exit 171

[Editor’s note: Woodcliff Lake strongly disagrees with this stance. See “Borough reaffirms opposition to right-hand turns at GSP Exit 171.“

Dear Executive Director Carone,

I am writing to you as the Mayor of the Borough of Montvale in Bergen County, as well as on behalf of more than 1,900 residents, both within and outside of Montvale, who have recently signed a petition to remove the turn restriction at Exit 171 on the Garden State Parkway north. I met last week with Leo Schaeffer and Kevin Dunn to discuss this issue, and they recommended that I submit a formal request to you to re-evaluate this turn restriction.

As I am sure you know, Exit 171 northbound only allows motorists to turn left at the bottom of the ramp. This turn restriction was apparently the result of an agreement between Woodcliff Lake, the County of Bergen, and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority in 1984. The Borough of Montvale was not a party to that agreement, nor to the underlying litigation that gave rise to it.

Regardless of the impetus for the restriction, four decades have passed since its inception without any sort of comprehensive analysis concerning whether it continues to provide the benefits claimed. We believe it would be highly beneficial for all of our communities’ residents and elected officials to see real, hard data on the impact of the restriction and whether it continues to serve the public interest. We believe that there would be a variety of public benefits resulting from a removal of the turn restriction, including improvements to overall regional traffic patterns, improved public safety, and a reduction in the regional pollution and infrastructure deterioration that results from motorists driving unnecessary miles in order to proceed to their destinations. At a minimum, we think a study is necessary in order to have an informed dialogue about the issue.

The Pascack Valley looks drastically different today than it did 40 years ago. Many large commercial properties have redeveloped into housing, farms have largely vacated the area, and residential growth has been significant due to three decades of Mount Laurel obligations. Safety considerations exist now which did not exist at that time. For example, we now know that many people do in fact make illegal right turns at this intersection, or make dangerous U-turns after turning left, in order to proceed eastbound on Glen Road.

Furthermore, the turn restriction results in significant additional miles driven by thousands of residents on a daily basis which adds to both vehicle emissions and degradation of roadways in the area. For example, a resident of Woodcliff Lake who lives at the intersection of Clairmont Drive and Glen Road would have to drive a minimum of 2.5 miles from Exit 171 if they proceed southbound on Chestnut Ridge Road to drive home, or more than 4 miles if they proceed northbound to Exit 172. This assumes they don’t make dangerous U-turns elsewhere. The driving distance if they were able to turn right at the exit would be a few hundred feet.

The same principle applies for numerous residents of the Pascack Valley who live east of Exit 171, who are forced to drive untold additional miles in order to access their homes, adding to the congestion and motor-vehicle-driven pollution in the region. The current restriction also results in increased wear-and-tear on both local and county roads, likely reducing the useful life of the road surfaces and requiring the expenditure of additional taxpayer funds maintaining these roadways. While some of the most direct impacts of the Exit 171 turn restriction are seen at Exit 172 and Exit 168, which receive the vast majority of the diverted traffic, we believe that removal of the restriction would have far-reaching benefits to all municipalities and residents in the Pascack Valley.

On behalf of the Borough of Montvale and the more than 1,900 Pascack Valley residents who have signed the change.org petition to remove the turn restriction, I would request that the Authority evaluate the feasibility of maintaining the turn restriction in light of the substantially changed circumstances from those that existed at the time of the agreement in 1984. While we recognize that there may be legal and other procedural impediments to changing or removing the turn restriction, many residents of the Pascack Valley believe that a comprehensive analysis of the turn restriction would reveal substantial public benefits in the areas of improved traffic patterns, increased public safety, and a reduction in regional pollution and roadway deterioration. At a minimum, a thorough and impartial study conducted by the Authority would provide the basis for potentially productive discussions between the interested stakeholders.

I am happy to meet with you and anyone else you deem appropriate to discuss this issue further. I thank you in advance for your time and consideration of this important matter.

Respectfully,Michael N. GhassaliMayor, Borough of Montvale

cc:Sen. Holly SchepisiAssemblyman Bob AuthAssemblyman John Azzariti, Jr.Kevin DunnLeo SchaefferBergen County Executive James TedescoMayor Carlos RendoMayor Keith MisciagnaMayor Peter CalamariMayor Raymond ArroyoMayor Albert Kurpis