(Lindenwold, NJ) – Beginning this fall, major renovations are coming to Chapel Avenue (CR626) in Cherry Hill. The $3.7 million improvements project will improve both the quality of the road surface and to calm traffic between Haddonfield Road (CR644) and Kings Highway (Route 41).
“This is an area where we have identified several existing challenges, not least of all the deteriorating state of the road surface itself,” said Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the Department of Public Works. “This is a major roadway with multiple schools, businesses, and homes, all along the same two-mile stretch. We worked closely with the township to ensure the project meets the needs of these diverse interests and to minimize any disruption caused by the construction.”
A major share of the project will be devoted to traffic calming along the heavily trafficked road. Three landscaped islands, of varying sizes, will be installed along the roadway to narrow lanes and slow traffic. These islands are located:
- Approximately 200 feet from the intersection of Chapel and Haddonfield-Sorrel Horse Road;
- Between Marlboro Road and Cooper Landing Road; and
- Between World Ministries driveway and the exit drive at Joyce Kilmer School.
At varying intervals along the roadway will also be flush cobblestone medians that will have traffic calming effects while still allowing residents to access their driveways. They will be located:
- Up to the intersection of Mercer Street after the first landscaped island, and continuing on the other side of the intersection, ending around the entrance to the Township Soccer fields;
- Between Marlboro Road and Cooper Landing Road;
- Between Knollwood Drive and the entrance to World Ministries
- From Bellows Lane to the shopping center driveway.
“Safety is our primary concern with any of our County highways and byways, but it is a unique focus with regards to Chapel Avenue because of the often ignored 25 mile-per-hour speed limit and the elementary and high schools adjacent to the roadway,” Shin Angulo said. “By implementing these traffic calming measures, we’ll be able to slow the pace of traffic and ensure pedestrian safety.”
In addition to the traffic calming measures, this project involves significant improvements to the Chapel Avenue roadway surface, curbs, and its handicap accessibility, as well as the addition of bike lanes and shoulder lanes. The travel lanes available for vehicles will not be changed and the locations where parking is permitted on Chapel Avenue will remain the same.
Additionally, Cherry Hill Township is upgrading the traffic signal outside of Joyce Kilmer Elementary School.
The roadway is expected to remain open throughout the duration of the project, with lane shifts to accommodate crews and equipment. The project will be divided into two sections, first focusing on the area between Kings Highway and Cooper Landing Road, then moving to the stretch between Cooper Landing Road and Haddonfield Road.
Timing is dependent on weather and is subject to change. To follow this project, and all of the Department’s other ongoing projects in Camden County, visithttps://www.camdencounty.com/service/public-works/current-projects/.