The $2 million plan calls for 416 new spaces to be added by next year.
By: Sharlee Joy DiMenichi
Commuters looking for parking at the Route 130 Park and Ride could soon find the task a little easier.
That’s because the N.J. Turnpike Authority on Tuesday approved expanding the facility’s parking from 650 parking spaces to 1,066.
Parkway Corp., the Philadelphia-based company that leases the lot from the Turnpike Authority, would foot the bill for the $2 million construction, said N.J. Turnpike Authority spokesman Joe Orlando.
Mr. Orlando said more parking is needed because approximately 150 cars are turned away from the lot every day.
Joe Mackiewicz, manager of the Park and Ride, said the lot can hold about 650 vehicles and that he personally turns away about 15 cars during his daily shift at the facility.
Mr. Orlando said the project would begin after the state Department of Community Affairs issued permits. He also said the project would take about a year to complete.
The DCA permits are required because the department oversees adherence to the Uniform Construction Code.
Mayor Frank Gambatese said he welcomed the expansion as a boon to commuters.
The most recent statistics on township residents who commute come from a 2001 study by the Greater Mercer Transportation Association and commissioned by the Township Council.
According to the study, which aimed to gage residents’ support for a train station, 71 percent of township residents commute to work by driving alone, followed by 13 percent who use the train, 9 percent who use a bus service and 5 percent who are involved in carpooling.
The study’s conclusions were based upon the answers of those who responded to a mailed questionnaire.
Mayor Gambatese said he would like the township to conduct a more in-depth study of commuting habits and that the council would discuss park-and-ride options in the spring.
He said council members would consider possible locations for commuter lots, including existing parking lots not currently used as park and rides.
Mayor Gambatese said choosing the location of new lots would require careful consideration.
"You can’t just put a park and ride anywhere, you’ve got to be able to get to it," Mayor Gambatese said.
Commuters along Route 27 currently use the Post Office parking lot on Route 27 and the parking lots of several businesses and shopping centers as park-and-ride facilities.