Town bonds for Rte. 522 extension
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer
North-South Brunswick Sentinel, Dec. 15, 2005
SOUTH BRUNSWICK -- In a move aimed at
easing truck traffic in town, the Township Council passed a bond
ordinance Tuesday to help finance the extension of Route 522.
The move brings the township closer to constructing Route 522-1A, which will run from the
intersection of routes 522 and 130, through a section of
warehouses, and reconnect with Ridge Road just west of the turnpike.
The total cost of the road is expected to be $8 million, of which
$400,000 shall be paid as a down payment.
Township Manager Matt Wakins hopes that the road will be completed
within 2006, and said that some lanes on 522 will be closed during the
day while construction goes on. Part of the costs will be paid for by
the warehouse developers who benefit from this road, which will allow
trucks easier access to their area, and all the funds laid out by South
Brunswick will be reimbursed by Middlesex County because Route 522 is a
county road.
Route 522-1A, the township’s answer to
the controversial Route 92, which recently had its funding transferred
by the state to a turnpike widening project, was designed primarily to
relieve truck traffic. Right now, trucks coming off major
highways and on to Ridge Road will sometimes get lost and keep going on
522, where they eventually end up in Dayton.
Officials hope the new road will be a more direct route through the
warehouses and keep the trucks out of the residential areas. There will
also be small side streets, which may help ease traffic as well.
Truck traffic in residential areas has been an annoyance for many South
Brunswick residents. During the month of October, trucks driving in
places where they should not accounted for the largest proportion of
tickets issued, especially around Dayton. Past efforts to control truck
traffic have included weight limits, speed limits and truck lanes.
While the town has yet to take bids on the road construction, Mayor
Frank Gamabatese was happy about the progress of the project.
"This was our main argument with
regard to Route 92. ... This is the last leg and we’d really like to
see it. I think it will help a lot of the traffic problems in this
town."