County begins new traffic light construction
Light on Oak Tree Rd. will be operational in three months
BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer

EDISON - The lights are changing on Oak Tree Road.

The Middlesex County Engineering Department has begun work on a traffic light at the intersection of Oak Tree Road and Sugar Tree Plaza to curb accidents and slow down traffic on one of Edison's busiest thoroughfares.

According to Assistant County Engineer Richard Wallner, the project began with a traffic study that warranted the implementation of a new light at the intersection.

Work is ongoing and will continue for at least three months, Wallner said.

"They are ripping the place up," Wallner said.

Traffic has been shifted to accommodate the workers, and Wallner said the county could not close down the road while it works.

The project, conducted by the Lucas Construction Group out of Old Bridge, has a price tag approaching a half-million dollars. Wallner said the cost includes everything from fixing sidewalks, curbing, draining, purchasing of hardware, resurfacing of roads and labor for installation of the light itself.

The three-month time frame is a conservative estimate, and Wallner said it could be done sooner.

"There are various things you have to coordinate," Wallner said. "By the time everything is done, he [contractor] should be out of there, and you won't even know he was there."

As for the impact to the community right now, Wallner said he had not noticed a huge problem with the construction.

"I go through it almost every day," Wallner said. "I haven't noticed a back-up."