Mahwah May 1, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Experts complete Crossroads traffic testimony by Frank J. McMahon Traffic and engineering experts for Crossroads Developers, LLC have completed their testimony before the Mahwah Planning Board about the plans for handling external and internal vehicular traffic at the proposed mall. The development is slated for the 140-acre International Crossroads property at Routes 17 and 287 which currently contains the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel. Crossroads Developers is seeking the board’s approval to construct a 600,000 square foot retail center on the site with two big box stores, a 10-plex theater, 200,000 square feet of retail shops along a pedestrian oriented corridor, and an athletic field. Testimony about the plans to handle the external vehicular traffic was completed in February, and the testimony about the revised plans to handle the internal vehicular and pedestrian traffic was concluded at the last public meeting of the board. At that meeting, civil engineer Michael Junghans explained the primary changes made to the internal traffic plan for the site based on the concerns expressed by the board in February. Junghans told the board the internal traffic plans were changed to revise the hotel parking access, add a textured pavement in front of the hotel to warn motorists to slow down in that area, and add coordinated traffic signals at the intersection of the entrance road, the “ring” road, and the road leading to the pedestrian mall. The plans were also changed to add crosswalks from the parking lots to the other side of the ring road, add push button operated traffic signal flashers at the main crosswalk to the hotel entrance, and add three-foot high metal fencing on the interior perimeter of the parking lots to encourage pedestrians to use the crosswalks. Junghans advised that, in addition to the traffic signal planned for the mall entrance road, traffic signals have been added to the main intersection with the ring road and at the intersection of the road leading to the pedestrian mall and the ring road. In response to comments from the board, it was agreed to add traffic backup detectors in the roadway to override the traffic signal at the intersection of the main entrance road and the ring circle in case of a traffic backup in that area. It was also agreed that the underground conduits and junction boxes for potential future traffic signals would be installed, and that the developer would abide by the recommendation of the board’s traffic engineer concerning the speed limit to be placed on the ring circle road, which could be monitored by the local police department, both as conditions of the board’s approval. The installation of sidewalks to allow residents of the Ramapo Brae housing complex to walk to the mall was discussed, as was the potential for constructing a bike path to the site. Those suggestions will be considered by the township’s planner. However, the board expressed reservations about encouraging pedestrians to walk or ride bicycles to the mall. The idea of providing bus stop locations at the site was also discussed. While it was pointed out that there are logical locations for bus stops, that idea will be left up to New Jersey Transit to evaluate. At a previous meeting, Junghans explained that the internal traffic plan includes a two-way internal circulation of traffic on the “ring” road around the existing water feature in front of the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel with landscaped islands between the lanes, and a one-way exit from the mall to Mountainside Road. He also advised the board that the internal traffic plan called for push button pedestrian flashing lights at the hotel crosswalk and he said an emergency bypass lane was added to Cross Road at the Mountainside Road intersection. Additional striping and signage controls would be provided at the hotel parking lot exits. The developer had also previously agreed to reduce the seating capacity of the proposed theater from 3,000 seats to (continued on page 19)