Permits sought for Route 92

Published in the Home News Tribune 12/29/04
By DINA GUIRGUIS
STAFF WRITER

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has applied to the state Department of Environmental Protection for permits regulating construction of Route 92 in the southwestern part of the county.

According to DEP spokesman Peter Boger, the Turnpike Authority has filed for an application for stream-encroachment permits and a freshwater individual permit.

The application requests approval to cut or clear trees and other vegetation, increase pavement, construct one or more buildings/structures and expand existing pavement or buildings/structures. The authority has been entertaining plans to build an east-west route in Middlesex County for decades. Route 92 would be a 6.7-mile limited-access highway that would serve as a link between Route 1 in South Brunswick and the Turnpike at Interchange 8A in Monroe. The proposed highway would run through South Brunswick, Plainsboro and Monroe.

South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese was unaware of the Turnpike Authority's application and was under the impression the project was on hold.

South Brunswick officials are ardently against the project, claiming it would have adverse affects on the environment and the quality of life of township residents. Officials in Monroe and Plainsboro support the project.

Boger said the DEP has 20 days to review the application, after which it will conduct a formal review process that could take months.

Officials at the Turnpike Authority could not be reached for comment.