By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
What was once an unnamed section of road, often confused with River Road, will finally have a name of its own.
The Township Committee unanimously introduced an ordinance May 27 to name a 1,100-foot section of road which crosses the South Branch Raritan River and intersects River Road about 1,500 feet north of the Elm Street Bridge between Hillsborough and Branchburg, Picket Place.
Mayor Anthony Ferrera said that the naming of the road is also being approved by governing officials in Branchburg, after the request to do this was made by Somerset County.
”The county requested that the place where the two roads called River Road join be named,” he said.
According to the ordinance, the Somerset County Department of Public Works Traffic Safety Division requested that this road of which 1,100 feet runs through Hillsborough be named by the two townships. The division said that naming the road would avoid confusion among rescue workers and police in the event of an emergency.
Township Administrator Kevin Davis echoed this, saying that finally naming the section of road will help emergency workers if they are called to a location in that area, especially if they are needed by the one Hillsborough homeowner on that road, whose address will be changed to Picket Place.
The name “Picket” came from a list the township has of farmers and veterans in the town dating back to its first residents almost 400 years ago, according to Tom Belanger, the assistant township engineer. He said that “Picket” was the next name on the township’s list, although he wasn’t certain if the name was of a farming family of a veteran. He added “Place” sounded right with it.
”The list is all property owners since the 1600s,” Mr. Belanger said. “We have old farmers’ names and after we deplete those, we use veterans’ names.”
Public hearing for the ordinance will be held June 24.
