by Sean Ruppert, Staff Writer
Democratic incumbents for Township Council say that the state is beginning to move in the right direction on a Route 1 widening project, while their Republican challengers have different ideas on how to speed the upgrades along.
Three Democrats — Councilwoman Carol Barrett, Councilman Joseph Camarota and Councilman Charles Carley — are defending their four-year seats against first-time Republican candidates John O’Sullivan and Steve Walrond in the Nov. 4 election.
All of the candidates say that they are for widening Route 1in South Brunswick. The road is four lanes for most of the seven-mile stretch in South Brunswick, but widens to six lanes in Plainsboro to the south and North Brunswick to the north. The reduction of one lane in each direction creates a bottleneck, slowing traffic and creating delays as cars pass through town.
The township has been pushing to widen the road to three lanes in each direction for years and, in August 2005, the council — which has five Democrats — lobbied the federal government, which members said resulted in a $6.8 million grant to the DOT for a study on the project.
In May 2007, the director of the DOT’s Division of Project Planning and Development, Gary Toth, told the township that the state did not have enough money to widen the highway, though three months later the DOT told the township it would make improvements to several intersections along Route 1 beginning in 2010. It reiterated that money to widen the entire length of the road did not exist.
However, the state included a $2 million study of a possible widening of the road in its Transportation Capital Program report for fiscal year 2009, released in April. The program called for the study to occur in fiscal year 2009, and laid out a six-step process for completion of the project, should it be approved. The total estimated cost is $356.5 million, according to the capital program. The state has since renamed it the “Route 1 bottleneck relief project.”
”This isn’t a Democratic issue or a Republican issue,” Mr. O’Sullivan said. “Everyone has been trying to get this done.”
Mr. Camarota said that the Democrats have taken a three-tiered approach to the project by lobbying the state and federal governments for the project, as well as doing what the municipal government can. He said the township required the developer of the Heritage Square shopping center — where Target is located — to add a third lane onto the northbound side of Route 1 for the length of the center.
”It’s a no-brainer, this road needs to be widened,” Mr. Camarota said. “We at least have the state talking about it now. It’s a step in the right direction.”
Mr. Walrond said he would make an effort to get South Brunswick’s neighboring communities to join in lobbying the state to widen the road. He said that, if more voices called for the improvements, the state might be quicker to act on the project. He said he believes that Plainsboro, Franklin and North Brunswick have an interest in seeing the project move forward because residents there have to drive through South Brunswick regularly on Route 1.
”They have to drive to work and take their children places, too,” Mr. Walrond said. “This road doesn’t just affect the people that live here.”
Mr. O’Sullivan said he would like to place a large sign outside of the Municipal Building that would count of the numbers of days and years since the widening project was first discussed. The sign would be updated regularly until work began on the road.
Mr. Carley said the town’s lobbying has shown results, and has helped move the project forward.
”We were able to get one of the nefarious earmarks we all hear so much about,” Mr. Carley said, in reference to the $6.8 million grant for the project from the DOT in 2005.
Mr. Carley said he thinks the state has done a better job recently in moving the project forward.
”In the past 24 months, I think they have been good actors in this regard,” he said. “Over the past 24 years, they have not.”
All three Democrats said that should the project ultimately not be approved, they would pursue intersection improvements along Route 1 as a means of alleviating traffic. Mr. Camarota said he would use the 2005 grant to fun the improvements. He also said the township should continue to require anyone who develops property along Route 1 to add a lane on the road in front of their property.
Ms. Barrett said that mass transportation, such as the proposed SMART bus, also could help alleviate traffic on the road.
Mr. O’Sullivan said encouraging car-pooling would help, as well as stricter enforcement of traffic laws. He also said that some intersection improvements could help traffic flow, while Mr. Walrond said the township might have to look at widening local roads like Deans Lane and Major Road.
All the candidates agreed that future development on the Route 1 should be carefully monitored. They all said that they did not think there should be more retail stores along the road.
”I don’t think anyone wants to see it become like Route 18, with one strip mall after another.” Ms. Barrett said.
Mr. O’Sullivan made similar comments, saying he did not want the road to look like Route 18 or Route 1 in Edison.
All the candidates said they would be for additional office development.

