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Township Vows To Tackle Route 70 Traffic
By Catherine Snipe
It doesn't matter who pays for it, officials said, what matters is that the traffic on Route 70 gets some relief.
The township affirmed this week that it is aggressively seeking approval from the state Department of Transportation to start a $2.2 million project along the Brick portion of Route 70, a state road.
And, it doesn't plan to wait for the state to hand over its money to pay for the project. Instead, township officials want the township to pay the money upfront so the project will be done now and not later.
Council President Stephen Acropolis said the idea is to target the "missing mile" of Route 70, an area that encompasses the intersections of Chambersbridge Road, Cedar Bridge Road and Brick Boulevard.
That area has become notorious for its backlog of traffic, officials said.
"Coming from the west, it's blocked all
the time," Councilwoman Kathy Russell. "It's an injustice."
Acropolis said the area could benefit from new jughangles and other traffic improvements, part of six "breakout projects" he hopes the state will approve.
The township needs that approval before proceeding. It doesn't want to wait for the state DOT to give the township the money, however, instead opting for ongoing discussions on reimbursing the township for the project.
"We will allocate the money, just give it approval," Councilman Anthony Matthews said.
Acropolis said that choice means the project, once approved, would be underway sooner.
"The money is there. The spirit is there," Acropolis said.
Township Administrator Scott Pezzares said the sticking point is that the township doesn't want to create what's called a "full planning phase operation" with the state. Instead, the township could be the lead agency for the project and then seek reimbursement for improvements on the state road.
Matthews said the state process just takes too long. "It's absolutely ridiculous to tell our citizens to wait 10 to 15 years to see improvements to traffic on Route 70," he said.
So now, township officials are waiting for the go ahead. Pezzares announced the township traffic engineer is meeting in Brick with the DOT.
Acropolis said he is interested in heading to the DOT's Trenton offices to again discuss the project and invite DOT officers to speak before the council at its meetings. Mayor Dan Kelly vowed to come along.
The idea to not wait for state money was first discussed in October's council meeting. The council would like to add the $2.2 million project to its 2007 capital budget.
Councilman Dan Toth believes the area would benefit from a series of overpasses. That would remove the traffic lights in those intersections in favor of off ramps.
Now, the area has left and right turn lanes in some intersections. On Chambersbridge Road, traffic backs up past the post office and some drivers use the Shop Rite plaza to get to Route 70 West instead of advancing toward the light.
In another location, drivers on Brick Boulevard hoping to turn onto Chambersbridge find traffic has backed up and is creating gridlock.
Resident Nancy Briggs said that the state should foot the bill.
"We both feel the problem is so bad, we need to undertake this whether we get reimbursed or whether we would not," Acropolis said. "We don't want to sit here and say it's a state road and not our problem."
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