The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 18

B-6 Sunday, March 10, 1991THE COURIER-NEWS TRANSPORTATION I XX ROM) Traffic hot spots transportation projects CN map by Mlw Scon Guide to Central Jersey 1 ALEXANDRIA Bridge closed) A bridge on Sweet Hollow Road near Little York Road is closed for deck repairs. 2. BERNARDS Road pavlngi A project to install curbs and pave a stretch of Mount Airy Road between Route 202 and West Oak Street is on hold. 3. BOUND BROOK Road work! A project to install new curbs and repaye a stretch of Vosseller Avenue from Talmage Avenue to Route 28 is on hold.

4. BRANCHBURG U-turn bam U-turns now made by northbound traffic on Route 202 at Old York Road will be eliminated for safety reasons beginning tomorrow. U-turns can be made at Whiton Road. 5. FRANKLIN (Somerset) Bridge closed! The Blackwell Mills Road bridge over the Delaware and Rari-tan Canal Is closed for rehabilitation.

Traffic will be detoured around the construction site by using Blackwell Mills Road, South Middlebush Road, Amwell Road and Millstone River Road. Bridge closed: The Ten Mile Run bridge on Canal Road between Butler and Suydam roads is closed. Detour down Butler Road, Vliet Road, South Middlebush Road and Suydam Road. 6. GREEN BROOK Road paving: A project to install new drainage, curbing and to pave a stretch of Warrenville Road between Route 22 and the Middlesex County line is on hold.

7. HILLSBOROUGH Bridge closed: The Flagtown Road bridge will be closed beginning March 18 for 13 months for rehabilitation work. Weight restriction: The load limit allowed on the Flagtown Bridge on South Branch River Road has been reduced from 10 tons to 8 tons. 8. MONTGOMERY 7 irtl New York, 5ss5fe Somerville jp? Cxf New yGs)- Jersey Pennsylvania XaWi tfEi I Trentonjv state I Philadelphia 2 Turnpike Parkway Lanes closed: Drainage work will cause sporadic lane closings on Route 601 from Route 206 to Route 518.

9. PERTH AMBOY Bridge closed: The State Street bridge over Woodbridge Canal is closed Indefinitely for replacement. 10. READINGTON Crossing closed: All U-turns, left turns and crossings on Route 202 at Pleasant Run Road will be prohibited beginning March 18. A concrete slab will be placed across the opening on Route 202 to block all crossings at the intersection.

11. ROCKY HILL Road work: A project is under way to Install drainage and curbs and to pave Washington Street. 12. SAYREVILLE Lanes closed: Lanes are closed on the Route 35 bridge over Cheesequake Creek between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

while the bridge is repaired. 13. TEWKSBURY Bridge closed: A bridge on McCann Mill Road on the Tewksbury-Bedminster border will be closed beginning tomorrow for deck replacement. 14. WESTFIELD Bridge closed: Turtle Parkway bridge between North and South avenues over, the NJ Transit tracks is closed for replacement.

15. ROUTE 22 No turns: No left turns or U-turns will be permitted from Route 22 to Country Club Road. Westbound traffic can make U-turns at the Grand Commons signal. Eastbound traffic can make U-turns to the westbound lanes of the highway at the Ethicon jughandle. 16.

PORT AUTHORITY OF N.Y.-NJ. Note: Motorists are urged to listen to radio traffic reports for updates on travel conditions. For weekly construction DRIVE TIME By Anthony J. Parenti foot resting on the clutch. Shift through the gears with moderate effort to allow time for the synchronizers to work.

Your owner's manual should indicate the proper speed limit for each gear. While traveling in stop-and-go traffic or when going down steep grades, downshift one or more gears. However, never use the transmission for braking purposes on slippery pavement. This can cause a momentary loss of steering control with a front wheel drive car or fish-tailing with a ow A. schedules, motorists' can call the Port Authority's Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals 24-hour customer information line at 1-800-221 -9903.

17. GARDEN STATE PARKWAY Lane closings: One southbound lane will be closed between mileposts 153 and 150 in Bloomfield, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday and Friday. Lane closings: One northbound lane will be closed between mileposts 145 and 150 in Bloomfield and East Orange, ,9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lane closings: Two northbound lanes will be closed between mileposts 142 and 145 from Irvington to Hillside, 9 a.m. Middlesex offers mass transit guide Keep Middlesex Moving, Middlesex County's transportation management association, has produced a Transit Route Guide that illustrates the numerous mass transit routes serving the county's commuters and explains how to use the system. Each weekday, public transit in Middlesex County carries more than 50,000 people. Whether by train or bus, these commuters use public transportation safely and conveniently. Commuters seeking an alternative to driving on congested highways can request a free guide to learn how easy it is to use mass transportation in Middlesex County.

Those who wish to obtain a free copy can call Keep Middlesex Moving at 745-4490. Cranford bridge getting $992,000 rehabilitation The state Department of Transportation has announced that F. Gac-cione Inc. of Kearny has been awarded a $992,941 contract to rehabilitate two deteriorated bridges on Kenil-worth Boulevard in Cranford. The bridges are over the Rahway River and Nomahegan Brook.

Work on the project includes new decks and improvements to the substructure and superstructure. The project is funded 80 percent by the federal government and 20 percent by the state and is to be completed by Jan. 17, 1992. Hudson crossing ramps in NYC will be rebuilt The Port Authority Board of Commissioners has authorized a $27.6 million project to rebuild the main roadway ramps serving the upper level of the George Washington Bridge on the New York side. The system of ramps was built in the 1930s and modified when the lower level of the bridge was added in 1962.

The ramps handle about 178,000 of the 270,000 vehicles that use the bridge on an average day. The rehabilitation is expected to start in early 1991 and be completed by the summer of 1994. The project calls for the rehabilitation of the ramps connecting the upper level of the bridge with the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, 178th and 179th streets and the Henry Hudson Parkway. Rehabilitation of the ramps became a high priority after engineers surveying the bridge in 1985 and 1989 found worsening deterioration. Two insurance firms have rate hikes denied The state Department of Insurance has rejected rate hike requests of two major automobile insurers, citing the companies' failure to comply with new data filing requirements under the Fair Automobile Insurance Reform Act, Commissioner Samuel F.

Fortunato has announced. The department disapproved a proposed 7.7 percent increase for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and a proposed 22.5 percent rate increase for Keystone Insurance Co. "Under the FAIR Act, insurance companies requesting rate increases from the department now must provide information to help us determine whether they are operating efficiently and allocating expenses properly among their different line of insurance," Fortunato said. If companies seek to pass through premium surtaxes and industry wide assessments to their policy holders they also must file information, never requested before, about the profitability of other lines of insurance they sell.

Consultant is hired for turnpike widening The New Jersey Turnpike Authority commissioners have authorized Executive Director Donald L. Watson to enter into an agreement with the New Jersey based firm of Hill International, Inc. for project management services in conjunction with the widening project from Interchange 11 to 14, subject to successful negotiations. The consulting cost was not to exceed $4.7 million plus expenses and insurance. Watson and Chief Engineer Wallace R.

Grant have completed the negotiations with representatives of Hill International reaching mutual agreement on the consolidation of tasks and effecting economies that reduce the cost to $4,328 million, including all expenses and insurance costs. will be closed between mileposts 106 and 114 from Holmdel to Tinton Falls, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday. Lane closings: Two northbound express lanes will be closed between mileposts 106 and 114 from Holmdel to Tin-ton Falls, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday.

18. NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE Note: Closings are contingent upon weather. Snow, ice or fog will postpone closings to later dates not necessarily announced in advance. Lane closings: Left lane closed southbound on the outer roadway between Interchanges 9 and 8A in East Brunswick, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday.

Lane closings: Right lane closed in both directions south of Interchange 1 in Pennsville continuously from 6 a.m. Monday through noon Friday. Lane closings: Various lanes closed southbound between Interchanges 2 and 1 in Carney's Point Township continuously from 9 a.m. on Monday through 2 p.m. Thursday.

Agencies with information on upcoming road projects or motorists with suggestions on roads that need attention should write to: Road Watch, co Metro Desk, The Sunday Courier-News, P.O. Box 6600, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807-0600, or call Assistant Metro Editor Steven Coleman at 707-3120. driving wheels from mud, snow or ice. Use your brakes to hold the vehicle on an upgrade rather than the accelerator pedal.

Anthony J. Parenti is chief of police in Fanwood and president of the New Jersey Traffic Officers Association. He is past president of the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police. If you have any questions or comments on this column or on any other driving-related topic, write to Drive Time, co The Sunday Courier-News, P.O. Box 6600, 1201 Route 22, Bridgewater, N.J.

08807-0600. Please include your name, address and telephone number with all letters to receive a reply. Don't forget about transmission maintenance Whether you have a manual or automatic transmission, both require attention to keep them in good operating condition and avoid unnecessary expenses. Manual transmissions should be checked every 30,000 miles for gear lubricant, clutch adjustment and linkage lubrication. If a manual transmission develops noise during shifting or shakes when the clutch is let out, this could indicate a serious problem and should be checked by a professional mechanic immediately.

You can keep your manual transmission in good working order by following a simple procedure. Before shifting to any gear, you should always completely depress the clutch pedal and never ride with your rear wheel drive vehicle. If you stop your vehicle for more than 30 seconds with the engine running, put the transmission in neutral to avoid overheating the clutch or transmission. Automatic transmissions are far more susceptible to damage than manual transmissions and require more attention and maintenance. Automatic transmission fluid oxidizes at high temperature which can result in rough shifting or total transmission failure.

To avoid the problem, check the transmission fluid level every time the engine oil is changed. The fluid should be changed every 24,000 miles and have the pan filter cleaned or replaced at the same interval. cost hm. with Jill to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Lane closings: One northbound lane will be closed between mileposts 137 and 141 from Union to Clark, 9 a.m.

to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Lane closings: Three northbound lanes will be closed between mileposts 126 and 128 in Woodbridge and Sayre-ville, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Lane closings: One southbound express lane will be closed between mileposts 124 and 121 In Sayreville and Old Bridge, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Wednesday.

Lane closings: One northbound lane will be closed between mileposts 119 and 123 in Sayreville and Old Bridge, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday. Lane closings: One northbound lane When you first start out, never shift to forward or reverse while the engine is racing. If you need "that extra push" or while climbing a hill, use the low drive gear. Also use the low drive gear when driving down steep grades, or when peak performance is required to climb a steep hill or drive through ice or Never shift into park or reverse while the vehicles wheels are turning.

At no time should you run the engine at high speed for more than 10 seconds while the transmission is in drive and the wheels are spinning in ice or snow. You also should avoid shifting between forward and reverse while operating the engine at high speed, such as when rocking the vehicle to free your low up to THE am inratce oil wma0 You'll know exactly what you'll pay with our Fixed Rate Second Mortgage Loan. No guessing. No worrying; No surprises. With our Second Mortgage Loan, you'll lock in rate up front and pay the same amount every month for the life of your loan.

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