By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — Pointing to the “essential” nature of the Route 518 bridge for public health and safety reasons, Somerset County officials have called on state officials to lift the stop-work order on transportation projects that include the bridge over the Delaware & Raritan Canal at the edge of Rocky Hill.
That was the message delivered to Township Committee by Somerset County Freeholder Mark Caliguire last week. Mr. Caliguire, who is a former mayor and Township Committee member, offered an update on the county’s efforts to jump-start work on the project.
“(The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders) is as frustrated as you are. Obviously, the Route 518 bridge (over the Delaware & Raritan Canal) is a major artery,” Mr. Caliguire said, adding that state Sen. Kip Bateman and Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli have also weighed in on the issue and called for work to resume.
Mr. Caliguire said the contractor hired to make the bridge repairs began work a few days before Gov. Chris Christie issued an executive order to stop work on projects funded by the state’s Transportation Trust Fund. There are openings on the bridge that have been covered over with steel plates.
In response to the work stoppage, William Stahl, the director of Somerset County’s Department of Public Health and Safety, has written two letters to state Acting Department of Transportation Commissioner Richard T. Hammer. There has been no response.
In both letters — dated July 11 and Aug. 22 — Mr. Stahl cited a provision in the shutdown order that makes it clear that projects must be kept active if they are essential to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of New Jersey. Closing down the Route 518 bridge — resulting in a 9.6-mile detour — means longer response times for emergency services, he wrote.
Since Mr. Stahl’s July 11 letter seeking an exception to the stop-work order for public health and safety reasons, about 30 other projects have been submitted to the state Department of Transportation that also seek a public health and safety exception, Mr. Caliguire told Township Committee.
But no “exception” has been granted, Mr. Caliguire said. The letters from Somerset County and other towns and counties are sitting in a pile on Gov. Chris Christie’s counsel’s desk, he said, adding that Somerset County’s request was the first one to be filed.
Mayor Patricia Graham said the Township Committee also has written to state officials, expressing concern about the increased response times for emergency services She also wrote that the Route 518 bridge is less likely to be flooded out and impassable than other bridges, which is important when there are hurricanes and heavy rainstorms.
Deputy Mayor Ed Trzaska said that a letter to Gov. Christie’s office from the Montgomery Emergency Medical Service would be helpful, explaining the bridge closing’s impact on response times. Mayor Graham said a letter from the EMS “would be especially powerful.”
Mr. Caliguire assured Township Committee that the Board of Freeholders is working behind the scenes to resolve the issue. He said he expected that the Board of Freeholders would adopt a resolution at its next meeting relating to the bridge work-stoppage.
“If you think (traffic congestion) is bad now, wait until after Labor Day. I am here to tell you I am frustrated. People will be back from vacation,” Mr. Caliguire said. The Transportation Trust Fund issue has to be resolved, and a health and safety exception can be made, he said.
