By Michael Lovito
Morris Plains residents who failed to stop a McDonald’s drive-through have achieved a victory of sorts from the state Department of Transportation (NJDOT), which has denied the developer’s request to allow cars to enter by turning left across busy Speedwell Avenue.
A letter from NJDOT Project Management Specialist Rahmiati Anthony dated Aug. 25, 2026, and addressed to traffic engineer Craig Peregoy of Dynamic Traffic LLC, states that the section of Speedwell (also known as New Jersey Route 202) that motorists would be turning left onto is “designated as Access Level 4,” a classification that “mandates that left-turn movements from State highways must utilize a dedicated left-turn lane where warranted by design and safety considerations.”
Unfortunately for the McDonald’s development team, Anthony also notes that “the existing roadway cross-section does not provide sufficient width to accommodate installation of a dedicated left-turn lane in accordance with NJDOT safety and design standards,” making installation of such a lane difficult.
Perhaps most vindicating for opponents of the project, especially those who peppered the development team at a series of tense planning board meetings at the end of 2024, was NJDOT’s recognition that the section of Speedwell in question contains “significant safety deficiencies.”
More specifically, Anthony’s letter notes that “the corridor exhibits an elevated crash rate of 11.13,” more than double the “statewide average” of 4.6, a figure that indicates “existing safety challenges.”
Anthony also writes that “Within this segment, 61% of crashes occur between intersections, demonstrating a concerning pattern of mid-block conflicts” and concludes that “the introduction of a new unsignalized left-turn movement without a dedicated turn lane would increase vehicular conflict points in an area already experiencing elevated crash activity” and “further exacerbate existing conditions.”
NJDOT also rejected the applicant’s argument that the waiver should be approved given the existence of similar left-turns across Speedwell/Route 202. Anthony’s letter points out that “no Major Access Permits” have been issued for the section of road in question “since the early 2000s,” and that “all new access applications must be evaluated in accordance with current Access Code requirements and contemporary safety data.”
In a letter to Morris Plains residents published on Sept. 10, 2026, Mayor Jason Karr said he was not made aware of NJDOT’s denial of the waiver request until the previous day, more than two weeks after McDonald’s was notified.
Karr said completion of the project would only be possible if NJDOT’s decision were reversed, if Speedwell Avenue was widened, or if the board amended its resolution approving the development.
“The manner in which it may seek to proceed is entirely up to the Applicant,” he said in his letter.
Morristown Green has reached out to project attorney Frank Vitolo and to the NJDOT for further comment, and will update this story as appropriate.
In a statement to Morristown Green, advocacy group Plan Better Morris Plains — founded in the wake of the original approval — said it was “immensely grateful” for NJDOT’s decision, but questioned why the left turn issue “was not flagged by the Borough’s paid experts” during the initial hearings.
The McDonald’s drive through was approved by the Morris Plains planning board in December 2024 via a dramatic 5-4 vote after 25 hours of testimony that attracted large swaths of residents opposed to the project.
Almost two years later, the project’s approval continues to have political ripple effects. In January 2025, longtime planning board Chair Suzanne McCluskey, who voted for the project, was ousted by a coalition of members who had voted against it and two new members.
In March, the Morris Plains Democratic Party declined to endorse the reelection bid of the mayor, another McDonald’s yes vote. Karr will appear on the ballot in November as an independent.
If NJDOT’s decision prompts the McDonald’s developers to revise their plans, they could be forced to go in front of the Morris Plains public once again.
In a July letter addressed to Karr and planning board Chair Mike Garavaglia, Plan Better Morris Plains claims that the resolution approving the project stipulates any “material alterations to the approved plan” would require another public hearing at the borough level.
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