As Mark Twain once said,“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Note to opponents of Route 92: The same applies to the controversial road project, despite a decision by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority this week to remove some funds allocated for the project.##M:[more]##
The Authority, which has control over the Route 92 project, on November 29 voted to shift $175 million originally intended for Route 92 to pay for the widening of a section of the new Jersey Turnpike. The fund shift left $6.5 million in the Route 92 account, which is projected to cost between $350 million and $400 million.
Elected officials and environmentalists opposed to the construction of Route 92 — a road that Plainsboro and West Windsor officials believe would remove east-west traffic from local roads — celebrated the Authority’s action as a victory.
But the official word from the Turnpike Authority is that Route 92 is still alive.
Joe Orlando, spokesman for the Turnpike Authority, says the status of Route 92 has not changed. “The only thing that’s changed on Route 92 is that we moved money — not the status of the project. The funds were reallocated simply as a matter of priority. At this time, the Turnpike widening is priority number one.”
The widening project, estimated to cost $1.3 billion, was announced by Acting Governor Richard Cody last year. The plans call for the Turnpike to be widened between Exit 6 in Mansfield and Exit 8A in Monroe. The shifted funds will go toward paying for engineering costs and impact studies.
Orlando points out that the decision to shift funds makes sense because Route 92 is currently not moving forward, and the Authority is ready to start work on the Turnpike widening now. “That money was borrowed in 2000 for Route 92. The fact is, you’re supposed to spend the money and not have it sit around for five years.
“Route 92 is at a standstill for a variety of factors, none of which are under our control,” says Orlando. “We’re still waiting for the Army Corps to sign off on the project and there are permitting issues.
Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu believes the project is viable and necessary. “I know the opponents (of Route 92) are dancing around like it’s a big deal, but it’s my understanding that the Turnpike Authority is not saying they’re moving away from the project. I’m not ready to throw up my hands yet.”
“Every study ever done has shown there is a need, and I think it’s premature to be throwing dirt on this roadway. Even more so now,” says Cantu, adding that the possibility of the Princeton Medical Center relocating to Plainsboro (see story on Page 1) heightens the need. “If, in fact, the hospital is approved in Plainsboro, Route 92 provides a direct route from Monroe, an area that the hospital serves.”
Cantu adds that more money will need to be bonded for the Turnpike widening, and the construction of Route 92 can be included in that bond issue.
Route 92 is the great-grandfather of all New Jersey road projects when it comes to debate over alignment and environmental issues, sitting on the state’s planning rolls for more than 60 years.
It is planned as a 6.7-mile, limited-access four-lane road that would link Route 1 near Ridge Road with the NJ Turnpike at Exit 8A of the New Jersey Turnpike. The current alignment calls for the highway to cut through the northern tip of Plainsboro and run east to west through much of South Brunswick Township near Friendship Road.
In its history, the only section of the highway to be constructed was the Hightstown Bypass. Seen as a necessary element to preserve quality of life in Hightstown, the bypass was ultimately “bifurcated” from Route 92 and completed in 1999 while the debate over the remainder of the project continued to rage.
Route 92 was originally to be constructed by the state Department of Transportation but was transferred to the Turnpike Authority in the early 1990s by action of the N.J. Legislature. The Authority moved quickly on its plans to build the highway, but was stalled by opposition from South Brunswick and a number of citizens, and environmental groups.
They argued that the road would disturb some 14 acres of wetlands and environmentally sensitive areas. The project was originally okayed by the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, but was denied wetlands permits by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1998.
Instead, the EPA recommended an alternative that would route traffic down Dey and Scudders Mill roads through the center of one of Plainsboro’s most densely populated areas. Cantu has said the effect on the community by the EPA proposal would be “devastating.”
After the EPA decision, the project sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a new environmental impact study. In April 2004, the Army Corps released a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) that supported the construction of Route 92.
A public hearing on the DEIS was held the following May, at which time numerous opponents lobbied against the project. The state has taken no action since the hearing, but is expected to release a final EIS in the near future.
