Route 22 Named ‘Most Dangerous Road’ in Somerset County

Route 22 has been named the most dangerous road in Somerset County by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC), based on data that shows four pedestrians were killed on the highway between 2010 and 2011.

The seemingly most dangerous stretch of Route 22, based on the number of deaths, runs through Bridgewater in the vicinity of North Bridge Street to Adamsville Road, areas the New Jersey Department of Transportation is currently putting a focus on for its Route 22 improvements that will include better interchanges in the area of Route 287.

The report, generated by the non-profit organization which seeks transportation reform in New York and New Jersey, detailed and designated a single most dangerous road per county in every county in the state. The term "most dangerous," as included in the report, refers to the number of pedestrians struck and killed.

The data, as the report references from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, shows the following annual pedestrian fatalities on Route 22, as compared to the remainder of the county, as follows:

Road

2009

2010

2011

Total

US-22

0

3

1

4

Annual Countywide Pedestrian Fatalities

2009

2010

2011

Total

1

3

2

6

*All data provided by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

On Route 22, a 53-year-old man was killed in January 2010 just past Adamsville Road in Bridgewater, and a 24-year-old man was killed in April 2010 near Grove Street in Bridgewater.

A 73-year-old female was killed in May 2010 past Mountain Avenue in Bound Brook, and a 39-year-old man was killed in December 2011 on Route 22 at Cramer Avenue in Green Brook.

Pedestrian deaths were also reported on Weston Canal Road with a 23-year-old female killed in June 2011, and a 34-year-old male was killed on Route 619 at Easton Avenue in January 2009.

The data does exclude highways and roads where pedestrians are prohibited.