A South Jersey intersection where an 11-year-old girl was killed has been reconstructed to improve safety for both drivers and pedestrians.
Officials redesigned the four-way intersection at County Road 528 and Old York Road in Chesterfield Township, N.J., which previously had a controlled two-way stop sign, into a traffic circle.
The crossroads is the site of fatal crash, when a dump truck slamming into a school bus carrying children to Chesterfield Elementary School in February 2012.
Eleven-year-old Isabelle Tezsla -- one of triplets -- was killed. Her two sisters and 15 other students were taken to area hospitals.
It was later determined that the truck had the right of way during the crash because the school bus had failed to yield or stop at the intersection.
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Both drivers suffered minor issues and were cited a month after the accident.
According to Burlington officials crash statistics show that roundabouts reduce fatal crashes roughly 90% and reduce injury crashes about 76%, when compared to other intersection controls. Roundabouts provide a safer and more efficient traffic flow by keeping traffic moving one-way in a counterclockwise direction.
“A modern roundabout is a very safe alternative," Joseph Brickey, Burlington County's director of public works and county engineer, told The Times of Trenton.
Brickey stated construction cost about $1.7 million and was funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration
The intersection has been re-opened, but final landscaping will be completed this upcoming fall.
