By: Richard L. Smith
Officials in Newark are continuing to investigate several crashes at a highway intersection in the city's North Ward.
The intersection of McCarter Highway and 3rd Avenue has had several monthly violent crashes and now has business leaders on the roadway requesting a review from The Department of Transportation (DOT).
The latest collision happened Sunday evening, April 2, 2023.
Police were dispatched to the intersection after receiving reports of a crash. Upon arrival, police and firefighters found three heavily damaged cars involved in a collision.
Witnesses told RLS Media that one of the issues they've noticed is that northbound traffic preparing to enter the Route 21 highway make attempts to turn left on 3rd Avenue, hoping to avoid getting on the road.
This results in turning cars colliding with vehicles heading southbound that are attempting to decelerate onto McCarter Highway.
On March 3rd, emergency responders were on the scene of a three-car crash at the same intersection with no severe injuries, but the collision caused significant delays on the roadway.
No severe injuries were reported.
A gas station manager near the intersection said the collisions are scary and dangerous for working on Mccarter Highway because out-of-control vehicles involved in crashes usually come onto the sidewalk and come close to slamming into gas pumps or occupants in cars waiting to be serviced for fuel.
"It's becoming too much of a 'scary' problem out here. The cars accelerate to get on Route 21, which causes bad crashes at the intersection. I don't want to get hurt", one of the gas station attendants said.
The incidents are under investigation.