Traffic and construction concerns at the heart of goals
By: Joseph Harvie
The completion of Route 522 from Route 130 to Ridge Road near Route 535 and getting a township-run bus system in place are Mayor Frank Gambatese’s two main goals for 2007.
Mayor Gambatese said Tuesday he will outline these goals and others he hopes to achieve over the next four years at the Township Council reorganization meeting at 1 p.m. Monday in the Senior Center.
Mayor Gambatese and Councilman Chris Killmurray will be sworn in for new four-year terms at the meeting. The two Democratic incumbents retained their seats in the November election.
The township has been working on the design and getting approvals for the Route 522 extension, which would run from Route 130 to the N.J. Turnpike overpass on Ridge Road, for more than three years.
Route 522 currently runs from Route 27 to Route 130. The expansion would bring it just west of the N.J. Turnpike overpass on Ridge Road, which is designated as Route 522 by the county east of Route 130. When the project is completed, the section between Route 130 and the new Route 522 extension would become a township road.
Mayor Gambatese said the township needs state Department of Environmental Protection approval to mitigate 3 acres of wetlands to complete the Route 522 extension.
The township is scheduled to meet with DEP officials in early January to discuss whether the township will be able to swap land or purchase the 3 acres of wetlands, which is at the southern end of Pigeon Swamp State Park, from the state to build the extension, Mayor Gambatese said.
"We are looking at alternative routes if in fact the DEP will not grant us the permits we need to cross a little portion of Pigeon Swamp," Mayor Gambatese said.
In addition, the DEP has concerns about the township’s plans to close Fresh Ponds Road at Route 130 and turn it into a cul-de-sac, because of wetlands in the area that might be affected by the change. The road currently connects with Route 130 and Route 522 at a traffic light.
"The neighbors there asked us to cul-de-sac it," Mayor Gambatese said. "It would keep the trucks from Dallenbach (the sand mining firm) off of Fresh Ponds Road. That’s what we want to do, protect the residents in the area."
At the other end of the roadway, the township plans to build a reverse jughandle on the northbound side of Route 1 at Route 522 this year, Mayor Gambatese said. He said the township has already purchased all the land it needs for the jughandle, which will be north of the intersection.
He said that, once the jughandle and the extension are completed, he expects the state to approve a truck route through South Brunswick that would limit the roads on which trucks could drive. The truck route would keep them off most residential roads, he said.
Mayor Gambatese said his second priority for 2007 is starting a township-run shuttle system, which would take residents from township park-and-rides and residential developments to bus stations and train stations in the region. In 2005, the township received about $4 million to purchase buses, Global Positioning System equipment and other items to get the bus system started.
"To tell you the truth we’ve been a little slow moving on this one," Mayor Gambatese said. "We have the money available for this from the federal government and we need get it moving."
In order to get the system running, he said, the township would have to see how much it would cost to run the system and discuss it publicly with commuters to determine how to pay for it.
"We want to let the people to know exactly what we’re doing and then set up the system," Mayor Gambatese said. "We’ll have to see what it’s going to cost and get the entire operation down on paper, and see exactly where we are with this."
In addition, over the next four years, Mayor Gambatese said he hopes to bring new businesses into the township.
"I’m not talking about retail or warehousing, I’m talking about big businesses," Mayor Gambatese said. "I think we have a tremendous opportunity here. We have become a very attractive township to businesses."

