Ledgewood Circle
| Ledgewood Circle | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Roxbury Township, New Jersey | |
| Roads at junction: |
 US 46 Route 10
|
| Construction | |
| Type: | Traffic circle |
The Ledgewood Circle was the intersection of New Jersey State Route 10 and U.S. Route 46 in the Ledgewood neighborhood of Roxbury Township, New Jersey. Both highways are major east–west arteries in Morris County, New Jersey, and both are also lined with businesses and strip malls. Consequently Route 10 and U.S. Route 46 experience heavy daily use, especially during the rush hours and on the weekends. This intersection is also the western terminus of Route 10.
In the mid 1990s, the New Jersey Department of Transportation dismantled the Ledgewood Circle and reconfigured the two highways into a signalized T-intersection.
Before the circle was replaced, eastbound traffic on U.S. Route 46 had to travel almost three-quarters of the way around the circle (while contending with traffic merging on to U.S. Route 46 east and west from Route 10 west) in order to continue traveling on U.S. Route 46 east.
Travelers on U.S. Route 46 west wishing to travel on Route 10 east also had to go almost three-quarters of the way around the circle with the same merging traffic to reach Route 10 eastbound. There were traffic metering signals to provide gaps in traffic so that motorists could in theory move in and out of the circle safely, but these signals were overwhelmed by the volume of daily traffic entering and exiting the circle and were not effective.
Speeding around the circle was a hazard as well because the roadway was broad and the circle itself had a large diameter, allowing those who wished to travel at highway speeds (50–55 m.p.h.) to do so even though these speeds were significantly higher than the advisory speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). This was the cause of many serious automobile accidents at the circle and another reason that the circle was replaced.
Since the circle has been replaced, traffic approaching the former circle from the west while moving eastbound on U.S. Route 46 uses a new roadway that cuts through the middle of the former circle. Traffic must then use two dedicated left turn lanes governed by a signal to turn onto the original alignment of U.S. Route 46 eastbound. Motorists wishing to travel on Route 10 eastbound maintain their travel lanes as those lanes become Route 10 eastbound. There is a signal for these lanes too, it stops eastbound traffic to allow for U-turns and westbound U.S. Route 46 traffic to make a left turn onto eastbound Route 10.
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