Legislators introduce bill to kill Route 92
By: David Campbell , Staff Writer
Princeton Packet, 02/13/2004
Montgomery official applauds measure, but in Princeton, West Windsor
and Plainsboro reaction is far different.
Two Republican state lawmakers announced the introduction of
legislation intended Wednesday to stop the proposed Route 92.
The two bills, sponsored by state Sen. Peter Inverso (R-Hamilton)
and Assemblyman Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton), seek to amend state law and
repeal the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's authorization to build the
disputed roadway.
Assemblyman Baroni indicated the
proposed roadway would bring increased traffic, and called for repairs
to Route 1 first.
"This is the wrong road in the wrong
place at the wrong time," the assemblyman said.
Sen. Inverso said Route 92 would cause
more problems than it solved,
claiming it would be fiscally and environmentally costly.
"The
estimated cost has skyrocketed far beyond what was envisioned, and the
highway's impact on the environment may be more significant than we
believed," he said.
Route 92 has long been proposed by the
Turnpike Authority to connect the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 8A
to Route 1 near Ridge Road in South Brunswick. The 6.7-mile,
limited-access roadway would be built and managed by the Turnpike
Authority.
The Army Corps of Engineers has been working on an
environmental impact statement for the roadway since 2000 in order to
determine if a wetland permit should be issued to the Turnpike
Authority for the project.
Conflict initially arose in 1999
after the state Department of Environmental Protection issued the
permit against recommendations from the federal Environmental
Protection Agency.
The release of the environmental document has
been delayed to permit the state Department of Transportation, DEP and
governor's office to review it.
Montgomery Township Mayor Louise Wilson applauded the proposed
legislation.
"We have opposed Route 92 for many years, and I'm delighted to hear
that action is being taken to de-authorize it," Mayor Wilson
said.
"We understand that steps need to be
taken to make it easier to get
from Route 1 to the Turnpike, but 92 was overkill in my opinion,"
she
continued. "It posed a very, very
serious threat to the little
historical district of Kingston and Rocky Hill, and by extension to
Montgomery."
West Windsor Township Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh
expressed opposition to the legislation, and vowed to continue to push
for the new roadway.
"We are supportive of Route 92 and will
continue to support it to alleviate traffic on the West Windsor side,
particularly Route 571," Mayor Hsueh said.
Plainsboro Township
Mayor Peter Cantu, who in the past has supported Route 92, said it was
"disingenuous and politically motivated" of the lawmakers to take a
stand against the road before the environmental findings are made known.
"I think it's highly unlikely this will have a chance for success,"
Mayor Cantu said of the proposed legislation.
Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand expressed surprise over
the move to stop the road, which Princeton Township and Princeton
Borough have supported, particularly she said with the environmental
findings not yet revealed.
"The region needs an east-west road," Mayor Marchand noted.
Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club,
praised the lawmakers' action, calling Route 92 "a symbol of sprawl in
New Jersey."