Middletown Hosts Meeting March 18 To Make Newman Springs Road Safer

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Lincroft residents and Middletown Twp. are working together to address the ongoing traffic safety problems on Newman Springs Road/County Rt. 520.

At the Monday night Middletown Township Committee meeting, multiple Lincroft residents stood up and told the town how dangerous Newman Springs Road is. This has been a known problem in Middletown for years. Except the volume of traffic is getting worse now that the new LifeTime athletic club and the massive new Red Bank Veterinary Hospital opened off Garden State Parkway Exit 109. Also, there's a new apartment complex coming to Newman Springs, One River Center, which is expected to have 340 apartments once it opens.

On Dec. 30, 2024 there was a fatal accident on Newman Springs Road. The most recent accident on Newman Springs occurred last Thursday, where someone making a left-hand turn out of Roma Court was hit by another car headed west on Newman Springs.

The impact of being hit caused the car to cross two lanes of traffic, jump the sidewalk and crash into the fence and bushes of Coralee Dixon's front yard; she and her family live on Newman Springs. Both drivers suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Dixon told the Twp. Committee Monday night that while Rt. 520 has been known for decades to be dangerous, "the situation has become dire" in recent months. She said children cannot walk on the sidewalk along Newman Springs to get ice cream in Lincroft village, and it is so dangerous they cannot even walk 100 yards to go to a friend's house.

Problems include people speeding (the speed limit is 40 MPH but people routinely go 60 MPH), people tailgating and the difficulty to make a left turn onto Newman Springs from any of the neighborhood side streets, of which there are many.

Middletown Township is addressing this, Mayor Tony Perry said Monday night. In response to residents' concerns, Middletown is hosting a public information session from 6-8 p.m. March 18 to discuss the traffic safety issues of Newman Springs Road/Rt. 520. The meeting will be held on the second floor of the new Middletown Township building (1 Kings Highway).

That meeting will be attended by traffic engineers from Middletown Township, and engineers from T&M Associates. A resident suggested someone from Naval Weapons Station Earle be invited, and Perry said he would do that. All members of the public are welcome. Perry said he spoke to Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone Monday, and Arnone will be at the March 18 meeting.

"520 is a county roadway. The five of us up here cannot unilaterally do anything about 520," said Perry. "We can help and we want to be part of that solution. It is the county that will be paying to make the road safer."

Perry did also say Middletown Police are paying close attention to Newman Springs Road and they've made traffic enforcement on Newman Springs a priority. In the first two months of 2025, Middletown Police conducted 176 motor vehicle stops on Newman Springs, 83 of which resulted in a summons, said Perry. That is higher than the routine traffic enforcement on all other roads in Middletown.

After last Thursday's accident that sent a car onto her front lawn, Dixon and fellow Lincroft resident Cara Welsh created the Lincroft Safe Streets Coalition. Dixon said she is pleased the town is hearing residents' concerns and hosting the March 18 meeting, which she encouraged all members of the public to attend.

"We know this is going to be a long process and this is just the first step," said Dixon. "The residents are coming together; we are willing to do the work. We want to help and we are pleased that the Township and county scheduled this meeting to start the process to collaborate with all the stakeholders."

"It’s great that these businesses are here and we want them to be successful, but the resulting impact of vehicle volume in the surrounding neighborhoods needs to be reviewed and addressed," she continued. "It comes back to the design of the road. They are trying to move traffic through areas that are residential."

Perry also said there will likely be more meetings after March 18.

"This won't be the only conversation," he said Monday night.

Watch the Monday night Twp. Committee meeting on this; they start talking about Newman Springs Road traffic safety problems at about minute 40:

Last February: 340 Apartments Proposed For Middletown's One River Centre Office Park