I spent my entire career as a union carpenter putting up buildings and organizing people. Before serving in the State House as an Assemblyman, I worked there as a carpenter on one of its several major renovations.
In my years in the field, I’ve helped build countless commercial projects in Mercer County and around the state. When you’re a union carpenter, every project, every job is temporary, and we frequently support new construction as an economic engine, not only to keep our members working but so that the wider community can benefit from new development.
In the 20 years I spent organizing and representing my fellow union members, I advocated for many new construction projects that helped keep my members employed and their families fed.
But jobs are not the only factors to consider here. When someone like me—who spent their career supporting new construction—finds a project they can’t get behind, you know that it’s bad news. Sometimes, a project goes too far. And, in the case of Bridge Point WW LLC’s latest project, much too far.
Having 126 acres of warehouse space in seven different buildings off Quakerbridge Road would permanently change the dynamics of West Windsor and irreparably alter the character of neighboring Lawrence Township, whose citizens and government have no official say.
West Windsor and Lawrence Township have always been attractive to new residents and businesses in no small part because of their proximity to major traffic arteries coupled with minimal gridlock and bumper-to-bumper traffic. However, that status quo is set to be disrupted by 5.5 million sq ft of warehouse, 461 loading docks, 507 trailer parking spaces, and 1,127 parking spaces for vehicles. This would bring an unmanageable influx of vehicles to local, state, and county roads. And these intrusions are only the first phase of this project. By the end, traffic in the area could increase by over 60%.
One day, going to the supermarket could be a minor but manageable inconvenience. Yet another day, it could delay you or a loved one traveling to one of the many hospitals along Route 1 and I-295.
The project’s negative impacts go beyond increased traffic volume. There’s a significant environmental cost the wider region will pay too. With climate change, flooding is steadily worsening in our region and the added stormwater runoff caused by this project will run beyond just my district. It will exacerbate the already dire situation in downstream communities along the Millstone River, including Princeton and significant parts of Somerset and Middlesex Counties.
These same towns were devastated by last year’s Hurricane Ida, which took the lives of several people and caused extreme devastation, prompting a presidential visit to Manville. Nobody can predict when the next major weather event will occur, but we can predict its effects. We have a moral obligation to do what we can to protect our citizens—both their lives and their property—against this looming threat.
A contrasting example of another Mercer County warehouse development can be found in Robbinsville. The Amazon warehouse is just 1.2 million square feet, with the warehouses next door adding another 500,000 in square footage. In West Windsor, phase one of the proposed project alone is over three times as large. The warehousing in Robbinsville is also better located to mitigate the type of truck traffic it causes with an easy outlet to the Turnpike—a road much more suited for heavy truck traffic than Route 1.
As an Assemblyman representing the residents that would feel the full brunt of this project, I stand arm-in-arm with them in opposing final approvals. I will advocate the state Department of Transportation to deny approval for the necessary connections between Route 1 and a new road on the property. I will also advocate for the state Department of Environmental Protection to use its full regulatory might to protect constituents in my district and beyond to ensure that no drop of runoff is added to an already stressed watershed.
Once these warehouses are built, the traffic and environmental impacts are here to stay. In America, the government’s responsibility is to serve its residents and protect their quality of life. The people who oppose this project deserve our attention, but more importantly, we must listen to them. I am proud to amplify their voices, echo their concerns, and say, “No!” to Bridge Point West Windsor’s proposed development. It’s simply a bridge too far.
15th District Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli.,
