Berlin Circle (traffic circle)
Encyclopedia
The Berlin Circle was a traffic circle
in Berlin Township
, New Jersey
, United States
located at the intersection of Route 73, Berlin-Cross Keys Road and Walker Avenue, and which also received traffic from nearby U.S. Route 30
, and County Route 561
. The New Jersey Department of Transportation
(NJDOT) began replacement of the circle in August 2006. The project cost $73 million. The circle was replaced with an at-grade intersection
with traffic signals. The project was completed in 2007.
.
New Jersey had been quite fond of traffic circles starting in 1927, when the Airport Circle
in Pennsauken Township
opened to traffic on July 1, 1927, as the first such traffic rotary in the United States. While the state had as many as 67 traffic circles at its peak, projects initiated by the NJDOT since the mid-1970s had reduced the count to 37 by 1999.
. The preliminary planning studies for the roadway redesign had been completed in 1998, and in 2002 the NJDOT expected to have the design completed in 2004 and construction finished by 2007.
Plans to eliminate the Berlin Circle and Collingswood Circle
, two of what were the state's most congested interchanges, were announced in 1999, with estimates that the cost would be $16 million for the project. In announcing that funds for the two $8 million projects had been obtained from the federal government through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
, Congressman Rob Andrews
noted that these were "two of South Jersey's worst traffic nightmares".
Construction began in August 2005, and Route 73 was shifted to avoid the circle as of September 14, 2006.
By 2006, the project had been in motion for over a year and the price tag had risen to $73 million. Local merchants at the circle and along the portions of Route 73 being shifted complained that the traffic delays and confusion caused by the project had resulted in business being down as much as 60% at area businesses.
The completed project featured a wider roadway and drainage improvements on Route 73, Route 30, Berlin Cross Keys Road and Walker Avenue, with new ramps and access roads created to allow the retention of all of the traffic flows offered as part of the traffic circle. Crossings on Route 73 were combined into four intersections controlled by traffic signals. New sidewalks and curbs were also included, as were bike lanes. New basins, box culverts, pipes and inlets were added to improve holding capacity in storms and mitigate flooding at the intersection.
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
in Berlin Township
Berlin Township, New Jersey
Berlin Township is a Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 5,357.Berlin was incorporated as a township on April 11, 1910, from portions of Waterford Township...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
located at the intersection of Route 73, Berlin-Cross Keys Road and Walker Avenue, and which also received traffic from nearby U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 in New Jersey
U.S. Route 30 is a U.S. highway running from Astoria, Oregon east to Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the U.S. state of New Jersey, US 30 runs from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge at the Delaware River in Camden, Camden County while concurrent with Interstate 676 southeast to Virginia...
, and County Route 561
County Route 561 (New Jersey)
County Route 561, abbreviated CR 561, is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from New York Road in Galloway Township to Federal Street , Camden.-Atlantic County:...
. The New Jersey Department of Transportation
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...
(NJDOT) began replacement of the circle in August 2006. The project cost $73 million. The circle was replaced with an at-grade intersection
At-grade intersection
An at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level .-Traffic management:With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign, traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting...
with traffic signals. The project was completed in 2007.
History
The circle was created in 1953 when Route 73 was created, and marked the crossroads of two state highways, three county roads, four local roads and a railway. The circle was constructed at a time when Berlin was largely rural and the land in the area used primarily for agricultural purposes. By 2002 and with increased suburbanization of the area, the circle became notorious for its congestion and traffic accidents, and for flooding caused by the Great Egg Harbor RiverGreat Egg Harbor River
The Great Egg Harbor River is a river in southern New Jersey in the United States. It is one of the major rivers that traverse the largely pristine Pinelands, draining of wetlands into the Atlantic Ocean at Great Egg Harbor, from which it takes its name....
.
New Jersey had been quite fond of traffic circles starting in 1927, when the Airport Circle
Airport Circle (Pennsauken)
The Airport Circle is a traffic circle in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, United States. It is located at the intersection of Route 38, U.S. Route 30, and U.S. Route 130, close to the Camden border. South of the circle, Route 30 and Route 130 run concurrent until they reach the former Collingswood...
in Pennsauken Township
Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, USA, and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 35,885....
opened to traffic on July 1, 1927, as the first such traffic rotary in the United States. While the state had as many as 67 traffic circles at its peak, projects initiated by the NJDOT since the mid-1970s had reduced the count to 37 by 1999.
Proposed changes
In addition to the traffic issues, the NJDOT undertook an analysis of the drainage issues associated with the road infrastructure, in conjunction with the local office of Parsons BrinckerhoffParsons Brinckerhoff
Parsons Brinckerhoff is a professional services firm with 14,000 employees in 150 offices providing construction and operation management, planning, design, engineering, program management, strategic consulting, environmental and sustainability services for clients and communities in the Americas,...
. The preliminary planning studies for the roadway redesign had been completed in 1998, and in 2002 the NJDOT expected to have the design completed in 2004 and construction finished by 2007.
Plans to eliminate the Berlin Circle and Collingswood Circle
Collingswood Circle
The Collingswood Circle was a rotary in Collingswood, New Jersey, United States. It was located at the intersection of U.S. Route 130, U.S. Route 30, and Woodlynne Avenue. North of the former circle, U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 130 run concurrent until they reach the Airport Circle in Pennsauken....
, two of what were the state's most congested interchanges, were announced in 1999, with estimates that the cost would be $16 million for the project. In announcing that funds for the two $8 million projects had been obtained from the federal government through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in the post-Interstate Highway System era...
, Congressman Rob Andrews
Rob Andrews
Robert Ernest "Rob" Andrews is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County....
noted that these were "two of South Jersey's worst traffic nightmares".
Construction began in August 2005, and Route 73 was shifted to avoid the circle as of September 14, 2006.
By 2006, the project had been in motion for over a year and the price tag had risen to $73 million. Local merchants at the circle and along the portions of Route 73 being shifted complained that the traffic delays and confusion caused by the project had resulted in business being down as much as 60% at area businesses.
The completed project featured a wider roadway and drainage improvements on Route 73, Route 30, Berlin Cross Keys Road and Walker Avenue, with new ramps and access roads created to allow the retention of all of the traffic flows offered as part of the traffic circle. Crossings on Route 73 were combined into four intersections controlled by traffic signals. New sidewalks and curbs were also included, as were bike lanes. New basins, box culverts, pipes and inlets were added to improve holding capacity in storms and mitigate flooding at the intersection.