Twenty-five mile circuit extends from Kingston to Millstone Borough.
By:Steve Rauscher
MONTGOMERY A 25-mile circuit snaking through the historic Millstone River Valley has received official recognition under the state Department of Transportation’s Scenic Byway program and can now compete for as much as $200,000 in federal funds, according to township resident Liz Palius.
Its designation as a scenic byway protects it by imposing tougher local land-use regulations, which discourage the buildup of such characteristics of suburban sprawl as billboards and cellphone towers.
"We decided we could do this because the entire area is already composed of places on the historic register," said Ms. Palius, a member of the Millstone River Valley Preservation Coalition, the group of area historic and environmental preservation activists that masterminded the project. "The Millstone Valley is a wonderful place, and it’s worth showing off."
Tourist attractions already situated along the route include the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, the relocated Rockingham site in Franklin Township and the 1860 House on Montgomery Road near Rocky Hill.
Beginning at the intersection of Route 206 and River Road in Montgomery, the route runs north along River Road on the west side of the Millstone River, across the causeway linking Millstone and East Millstone, and south on Canal Road through Franklin Township.
The route proceeds into Kingston by way of Kingston-Rocky Hill Road, turns south for a short distance on Route 27 before heading north again on Kingston-Rocky Hill Road by way of Church Street in Kingston.
The route then crosses the D&R Canal and the Millstone River on Route 518 and turns north again on Montgomery Road, in Rocky Hill, past the 1860 house, to Route 206 and River Road.
"Because of its intrinsic historic, scenic … natural and recreational qualities, it was a natural candidate," DOT spokesman David Byars said.
Coalition members will now work with the DOT in applying for federal money to fund the project.
The National Scenic Byways Program, a part of the Federal Highway Administration, will evaluate, among other things, the corridor’s current condition and historic value and the state’s proposed strategy for its preservation, then judge its worthiness compared to nearly 300 other scenic byway applications nationwide.
Any federal money secured for the project will be used to hire a consultant to formulate a more comprehensive corridor management plan detailing the long-term preservation strategy for the area.
"There’s a very complicated list of criteria we look at," said Sharon Hurt Davidson, spokeswoman for the National Scenic Byways Program. The program typically grants $22-25 million each year, she said, and has designated 84 scenic byways across the country in its eight years of existence. "Unfortunately, we always receive many more eligible projects than we have the money to fund," she said.
In previous years, Ms. Davidson said, Congress has left the decisions over which projects to fund up to the Federal Highway Administration, which considers applications from all 50 states. This year, however, Congress is considering diverting the bulk of the scenic byway funds to just six states, effectively eliminating nationwide competition.
"They’ve always had the authority to do this," Ms. Davidson said. "They’ve just never used it."
Fortunately for the Millstone River project, New Jersey is one of the six states. The current version of the highway spending bill before Congress for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 would provide $4 million for the Garden State’s scenic byways program, the Associated Press reported Monday. The $4 million would still be administered by the Federal Highway Administration, but with the proviso that it be spent in New Jersey, Ms. Davidson said.
There are currently no nationally designated scenic byways in New Jersey. The Millstone River Valley is just the second scenic byway designated by the state.