Sign the Petition Here

Fix Route 139

Context 

Route 139 Upper is an NJDOT highway that separates two densely-populated pedestrian-centered neighborhoods in Jersey City: Journal Square and The Heights. A redesign of Route 139 Upper was completed in 2019. This design ignores the dense residential context of the area and prioritizes vehicle throughput at the expense of local residents' safety.

NJDOT Complete Streets

In 2009, NJDOT adopted a "complete streets" policy that "requires that future roadway improvement projects include safe accommodations for all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders and the mobility-impaired." 

In 2017, NJDOT published a Complete Streets Design Guide to assist with this goal. 

The current design of 139 Upper contradicts nearly every recommendation in the design guide and is a clear violation of the policy.

Community Support 

“The reconstruction of Route 139 clearly did not incorporate pedestrian safety or come close to fulfilling the promise of complete streets.”

-Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti

“As a local community association President, we've heard complaints about Route 139 consistently since it was redesigned and reopened. This road is dangerous and separates two vibrant communities in Jersey City. It's past time to fix this road and make it safer for all users!”

-Kevin Bing, Journal Square Community Association President

"Crossing 139 as a pedestrian or on bicycle is a highly dangerous experience. From badly mapped crossing points, insufficient markings, turning radius' that encourage high speeds, and walk signals that are anti-pedestrian, the entire road is negligent for such a highly populated area. As the president of a Neighborhood Association that adjoins this road, the way it has been designed is one of the issues that our community finds most egregious, and our residents regularly have to take advanced protective measures to simply cross the road. Since it's construction we have requested safety improvements which have all been ignored. It is vital that we take the steps to make this road safe to cross."

-Bart Warshaw, Sgt Anthony Park Neighborhood Association President

"The Hilltop neighborhood borders 139 and we have heard numerous complaints and concerns regarding the safety of the roadway for pedestrians and bikes. Along with the residents of our neighborhood, we have a high school at Palisades and 139, with hundreds of kids that have to cross 139 on a daily basis. This roadway is an important thoroughfare and our safety concerns need to be addressed. It is a situation in which the time for meaningful planning and action can no longer be delayed. We must address these issues and plan for swift resolution to our safety concerns immediately, before the fears of the community come to fruition and we have a tragic incident as a result of further delay."

-Katrina Boggiano, representative, Hilltop Neighborhood Association

“I live a few blocks from this roadway and have to cross it often. It's designed for speed and it's a horrible design that is geared for car speed to the Holland Tunnel. It slices through our neighborhood and is dangerous to all users.”

-Patrick Conlon, BikeJC President

“The reconstruction of Route 139 has deepened the scar left on our neighborhood from the roadway’s original construction in the 1920s. Rather than allowing for two disconnected neighborhoods to be reconnected with the 2010s redesign, NJDOT ignored its own design guidelines and perpetuated the wrongs of the past. This four-lane highway encourages speeding drivers to cut through residential neighborhoods, leaving Jersey City residents to deal with all of the negative social and environmental impacts. It effectively serves as a barrier between many residents of Journal Square and the nearest parks and retail. As somebody who lives just off this road and crosses it on a regular basis, the benefit of a proper re-design, prioritizing pedestrians, cyclists, and mass transit users, would go a long way in correcting the injustices of the past and revitalizing large portions of two important Jersey City neighborhoods. ”

-Adam Cohen, Journal Square Community Association Transportation Chair

Contact info

If you would like to see any or all of the changes proposed below, please contact the following.

Sign the Petition Here

NJDOT community relations

609.963.1982

meredith.hammond@dot.nj.gov

State senators/represetnatives

Email: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/Selectmun.asp

Senator Stack: (201) 721-5263 (Jersey City)  /  (201) 376-1942 Cell

Assemblyman Chiaravalloti: (201) 471-2347

Assemblywoman Chaparro: (201) 683-7917

Assemblyman Mukherji: (201) 626-4000

 Jersey City council

(select a name on the left to see contact info) https://jerseycitynj.gov/cityhall/citycouncil

SeeClickFix

 https://seeclickfix.com/

Background

• The city-wide speed limit in Jersey City is 25mph

• Page 60 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states "On most urban roads, a target speed of between 10 and 30 mph is appropriate."

• The same page shows an 85% fatality rate for pedestrians struck at 40mph and only 5% for 20mph

• Despite all of the above, NJDOT has set the speed limit at 35mph

Action item

• Reduce speed limit to 20mph 

Channelized right turns

Background

• Page 129 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states "Channelized right-turn lanes should be avoided in areas with high levels of bicycle and pedestrian activity, such as downtowns, mixed-use areas, and residential neighborhoods" and "By widening the intersection and enabling higher turning speeds, channelized right-turn lanes generally create a less inviting environment for bicyclist and pedestrians"

• Yet several intersections of 139 Upper feature channelized turn lanes

Action item

• Remove all channelized turn lanes

 Dangerous turn radius

Background

• Page 115 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states "Designing curb radii for the largest vehicle and adjusting design when necessary is common practice in many communities. Instead, engineers and planners should default to designing curb radii to create shorter crossings for pedestrians and lower and safer turning speeds for vehicles. If large vehicles must be accommodated, designs should be modified off of that default." 

• Page 116 explains the concept of "effective turning radius" and shows that reducing the corner radius would not impede larger vehicles

•  Page 71 shows additional strategies for accomodating larger vehicles at intersections with small corner radii

• Yet several intersections of 139 Upper feature dangerously large turn radii, needlessly endangering pedestrians

Action item

• Reduce all corner radii to the 15 feet, and where necessary make different accommodations for large vehicles

Crosswalk placement / desire lines

Background

• Page 132 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states "Crosswalks should be marked to create the shortest pedestrian crossing distance, but also consider pedestrians desire lines. This is particularly an issue at skewed intersections." 

• Crosswalks on 139 Upper completely disregard this guidance. For example, in the image above, the yellow lines show the most direct path across both sides of the street, i.e. the desire lines. In reality these are the paths that nearly all pedestrians use. However the crosswalk entrances are 20-30 feet away from where pedestrians actually enter the roadway.

Action item

• Move all crosswalks to match desire lines

Pedestrian push buttons

Background

• Page 133 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states "The use of actuated pedestrian detection, typically through the use of push buttons, is discouraged" 

• Yet all crosswalks on 139 Upper feature push buttons

Action item

• Remove buttons and provide a pedestrian phase during each cycle

Crossing Islands

Background

• Page 123 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states:

  • "Crossing islands are typically in locations where pedestrian crossings feel unsafe because of exposure to vehicular traffic. This often occurs on multi-lane roadways, where pedestrians must cross more than three lanes of traffic, and/or on roadways with high traffic volumes or speeds."

  • "Roadways with an existing median space provide an opportunity to retrofit the median as a crossing island"

  • "Crossing islands should have a “nose” that extends beyond the crossing to protect pedestrians from turning vehicular traffic" 

• Yet despite being four lanes and having existing median space, 139 Upper does not have crossing islands

Action item

• Add crossing islands with noses in all crosswalks

Lane width

Background

• Page 64 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states:

  • "wider lanes actually encourage higher travel speeds, which has a negative impact on safety and the urban environment. A growing body of research has shown wider travel lanes to correlate with higher vehicle speeds. "

  • "Lane widths of 10 feet are appropriate in urban areas and have a positive impact on the safety of a street without impacting traffic operations." 

• Yet lanes on 139 upper are as wide as 15 feet

Action item

• Reduce all lanes to 10 feet wide

Crosswalk striping

Background

• Page 131 of NJDOT's Complete Street Design Guide states "Transverse striping, typically a pair of parallel lines oriented perpendicular to the driver, has a very limited visual profile to motorists. Conversely, longitudinal striping (often referred to as "continental” striping) is oriented parallel to motor vehicle travel, which significantly improves the visibility of the crossing to motorists." 

• Yet all crosswalks on 139 Upper feature transverse striping

Action item

• Change all crosswalks to use longitudinal striping

Bicycle lanes

Space can be created for protected bicycle lanes using either a road diet or a lane diet.

Intersection mock ups

Below are images of how specific intersections can be improved with new/extended curbs and islands shown in pink and more appropriate crosswalk locations shown in yellow.

Baldwin