By: Dave Campbell and Brian Shappell
An environmental study that could decide the future of the proposed Route 92 project will not be released in early June as expected.
The New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday the release of its long-awaited environmental impact study of Route 92, a proposed 6.7-mile, limited-access toll road linking Route 1 and N.J. Turnpike Exit 8A, will be delayed until September.
"We’re moving on it, but slowly," said Jodi McDonald, project manager for the Corps’ environmental impact statement.
The study has been in preparation since February 2000, when the Army Corps’ New York District office concluded that the road could have environmental impact and that an environmental impact statement was required.
The Army Corps became involved after the federal Environmental Protection Agency rejected a permit request from the Turnpike Authority nearly four years ago that would allow it to fill some wetlands along the highway’s proposed route. EPA representatives said at the time, and during Army Corps hearings on the project, that Route 92 would cause significant environmental impacts and that other, less intrusive alternatives existed.
The state Department of Environmental Protection issued its own environmental permits several months later, triggering the review by the Army Corps.
The road has been supported by the governments of Plainsboro, Cranbury, Monroe, West Windsor and the Princetons. It has been opposed by South Brunswick, Franklin, Montgomery, Manville, Hillsborough, the Hopewells, Pennington and Rocky Hill.
Response to the Army Corps’s decision has been mixed, though most were disappointed.
South Brunswick resident Kathy Dowgin of No 92, a coalition of residents and officials opposed to the highway, said the delay is frustrating to both proponents and opponents of the project.
"They’re not telling us the reason," she said. "Jodi McDonald says it is moving slowly but doesn’t elaborate. They haven’t really told us the reason."
South Brunswick Mayor Debra Johnson said that Ms. McDonald strongly insinuated during a conversation last week that the events of Sept. 11 slowed down many projects, such as the Route 92 study, for several weeks.
"We sympathize with the situation because it slowed down everything in this country," Mayor Johnson said.
South Brunswick Councilman Ted Van Hessen, who also opposes Route 92, said the delays will be a continued source of frustration for the people the road will affect.
"People affected by this road deserve closure on this," he said.
However, he also said a delay is better than the possibility that the Army Corps will reverse the DEP’s decision.
Ms. Dowgin said continued delays could work in the favor of Route 92 opponents.
"Every day they delay is a day they cannot build the road," said Ms. Dowgin.
Mayor Johnson said the township has not wavered in its opposition to the road’s construction despite years of battling against it. Mayor Johnson also said she hopes the additional time taken by the Corps will illustrate the township’s position that the road "serves no purpose.
"I truly hope that is the case that through examination it will show that traffic problems will not be solved, more traffic problems will be created on Route 1 south and it will be environmentally horrific," Mayor Johnson said.
"We’re going to fight this until the bitter end because we have no choice it will change the dynamic of our lives in South Brunswick and benefit no one except, maybe, Princeton University."
Frederick Kaimann of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, an advocacy group that opposes the roadway, called the delay "a positive sign that the Army Corps will give careful study to a road that would pile much more traffic into already congested central New Jersey."
Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu, an outspoken supporter of the road, said Monday, "Obviously we’d prefer this process be completed.
"This roadway is needed in the region," Mayor Cantu said. "There’s not much we can do about it. We’d prefer to see it (the document) completed sooner rather than later. We anxiously await its release in September."
Hopewell Township Mayor Jon Edwards, a staunch opponent of Route 92 and member of a coalition of area mayors similarly opposed to the project, said he is wary of "unintended consequences" from the proposed roadway.
"There are often unintended consequences to what may at first appear to be well-meaning projects," Mayor Edwards said. "This is likely to result in a significant increase in east-west traffic that will devastate our township."
Mayor Edwards said he is working with area corporations to find alternatives, such as "flextime" in working shifts to lessen the rush-hour traffic load on area roads.
In March, the mayors’ coalition, which includes elected officials from six central New Jersey municipalities, issued a public statement reiterating its opposition to Route 92.
In a May 15 letter to Gov. James E. McGreevey, the group called on the governor to cancel the project, saying, "The omission of this proposed project would save the taxpayers well over $350 million dollars."
The letter, signed by Mayor Edwards, Mayor Johnson and the mayors of Montgomery, Manville, Rocky Hill and Franklin said studies showed the roadway will "dramatically" increase traffic on Route 1 and negatively impact the quality of life and natural resources in their municipalities.
"Route 92 will channel additional traffic into our area and will destroy wetlands and contiguous forests within Montgomery Township. We don’t take kindly to that," Mayor Wilson said in the statement.
