Multi-agency traffic enforcement initiative begins along Route 539 in Ocean County tomorrow
Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato (center right) with the Route 539 safety and enforcement law enforcement partners. (Image courtesy of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office)
An intensive and multi-agency traffic enforcement detail begins tomorrow along a deadly stretch of Route 539 in Ocean County.
Dubbed a safety and enforcement initiative on the two-lane, mostly rural county roadway, which runs between Tuckerton and Plumsted in Ocean County, officers will join forces to interdict aggressive and unsafe drivers, said Al Della Fave, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman.
Della Fave says authorities will use both unmarked (to detect) and marked (to enforce) vehicles during the initiative, which will run until Sept. 14.
There have been 11 fatal crashes and about 400 non-fatal crashes along the Ocean County stretch since 2013, the spokesman said.
The initiative also involves educating motorists on safety issues and includes an engineering component.
“The engineering aspect of the initiative will include a review of the accidents and specific roadway dynamics to determine possible safety improvements,” Della Fave said, adding that a $3.4-million project to improve safety along the stretch will be funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s High Risk Rural Road program.
The overall goal of the intensive traffic enforcement, the spokesman says, is to keep motorists safe.
“Its goal is to save lives — not to raise revenue. The patrolling units would prefer to spend their day assisting motorists to arrive safely at their destinations — not writing tickets. Please do you part and drive responsibly,” Della Fave said.
The initiative involves the following agencies: the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, NJ State Police Troop “C” – Red Lion and Tuckerton stations, NJ State Police Troop “C” – Tactical Patrol Unit, NJ State Police – Transportation Safety Bureau, Barnegat Police Department, Jackson Police Department, Joint Base Military Police, Lacey Police Department, Little Egg Harbor Police Department, Manchester Police Department, Plumsted Police Department, Stafford Police Department, and the Tuckerton Police Department.
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