From: Rebecca Marie Hersh, INTERNET:rebecca@tstc.org
Date: 3/18/99 10:55 AMRE: NJ Action Alert - Stop Route 92
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
New Jersey Action Alert #1
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Dear Action Alert recipient,Thank you for signing up to be on our New Jersey Action Alert List! This is the first "Action Alert" we have issued. Please don't hesitate to contact us at tstc@tstc.org if you have any questions or comments. ===========================================
ACTION ALERT:LAST CHANCE TO STOP ROUTE 92
March 3, 1999 -- Now is your last chance to speak out against Route 92, the expensive, destructive, potentially sprawl- inducing road project that the Turnpike Authority wants to build through undeveloped wetlands in Middlesex County.
The Army Corps of Engineers is considering issuing a wetlands permit that would allow construction of this highway. This is Route 92's last hurdle - and your last chance to say NO to the project. If you are concerned about sprawl development, the environment, and truck traffic, you can help stop this destructive project.
The Army Corps began a 6-week public comment period last week on the New Jersey Turnpike's proposal to build the highway.
You can either speak out at the March 29th public hearing, or write a letter of protest to the Army Corps before April 8th.
Route 92 is a proposed 6.7 mile limited access toll highway which would connect the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 1 in Middlesex County - currently the biggest new highway proposal in the state. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has voiced strong objections to the project. The EPA's study of the project showed that the east-west traffic concerns in southern Middlesex County can be solved by implementing a variety of improvements on existing roads.
*** if you decide to oppose the project, please email a copy of your comments to us at tstc@tstc.org ***
To speak at the hearing: The public hearing will be on March 29th at the Princeton Marriot Hotel on Route 1 in Plainsboro. For information on the hearing, contact James Haggerty at 212-264-6731 or email JamesWHaggerty@usace.army.mil.
To mail written comments: Written comments can be a short, simple letter. They should be received by the Army Corps by 5pm on April 8. Comments can be mailed or e-mailed:
Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District Eastern Permits Section Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, Room 1937 New York, NY 10278-0090 Email: JamesWHaggerty@usace.army.mil ===========================================
If Route 92 is built, it will:
* Destroy 14.4 acres of environmentally-sensitive freshwater wetlands, some of which are forested, and would divide a 1600 acre tract of wetlands. Under New Jersey's State Plan, environmentally sensitive areas are supposed to be protected from development.
* Draw over 12,000 new vehicles from outside areas to the road each day. These vehicles will not be drawn by local growth, but by the very existence of Route 92. Route 92 would increase traffic, particularly truck traffic, to areas near the road, including Kingston, Franklin, Rocky Hill, Montgomery, Hillsborough, Manville, Somerville, and Raritan.
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Opponents of the Route 92 project include:
* The Tri-State Transportation Campaign
* NJ PIRG Citizen Lobby
* The Sierra Club
* Environmental Defense Fund
* Natural Resources Defense Council
* New Jersey Environmental Lobby
* New Jersey Environmental Federation
* United Taxpayers of New Jersey
* Township of South Brunswick
* Township of Montgomery===========================================
Here's what local media are saying about the project:
The Courier News
* "There's a lot to dislike about this ill-planned pavement, apart from its direct effect on a Central Jersey ecosystem sitting atop two aquifers. The Turnpike says the purpose of Route 92 is to relieve traffic on roads in the area. However, experience with similar projects indicates it is far more likely to increase traffic than relieve it, encouraging more suburban sprawl at intersections."
* "The Turnpike Authority's attempt to make its new toll road conform to the State Plan is laughable. The plan urges channeling development to established communities. The Authority argues that Route 92 would provide a vital link between Jamesburg at Turnpike Exit 8A and the Forrestal Center at Route 1. The Authority's own traffic studies show that only 2 percent of vehicle trips are between Jamesburg and the Forrestal Center. Nice try."
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For more information on Route 92, visit the Tri-State Transportation Campaign's web site, www.tstc.org, and search for Route 92 articles in our newsletter, Mobilizing the Region.
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Rebecca Marie Hersh
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
240 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 268-7474
rebecca@tstc.org
