By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — The Township Council expressed concern over a resolution by the state to add new bus stops along a stretch of Route 18.
“We have enough traffic issues in this town trying to get from one end to the other on [Route 18] in the condition that it’s in, with the traffic that it has, and now they want to put in what I see as a roadblock,” Councilwoman Camille Ferraro Clark said at the April 11 council meeting.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) seeks to reauthorize 15 stops on both sides of the highway. Stops on the northbound side would be stationed near the jughandle on Hillsdale Road, Rues Lane, Racetrack Road, Arthur Street, West Ferris Street, Tices Lane, Old Bridge Turnpike and South Woodland Avenue. On the southbound side, stops would be located near Eggers Street, Old Bridge Turnpike near the jughandle, Tices Lane, West Ferris Street, Authur Street, Racetrack Road and near the Hillsdale Road jughandle.
The proposed new stop on Rues Lane near Olive Garden on the southbound side of the highway drew criticism from the council.
Clark said she was “dead set” against the proposed stop.
“The [Rues Lane] is absolutely dangerous. We should not expand into that area,” said Lou Neely, chief financial officer for the township, expressing concern for people who cross the road at the intersection.
The state requires that the town pass a resolution of consent in order to move forward with the stops.
According to Neely, there is a chance, that if the council does not give its blessing to the proposal, DOT would withhold grant money.
“Normally we cooperate with them because they give Highway Trust Fund money. Sometimes if you do not cooperate with [DOT] and recognize their privilege to stop along Route 18, they own the highway already … they might not cooperate on Highway Trust Fund money,” Neely said, continuing that a number a road pavements projects in the township have been funded by grants from the DOT.
Clark made a motion to have township officials meet with the state in order to voice concerns over the addition of the stop before the council voted to approve the resolution to consent unanimously.
“If we don’t pass the resolution, we can feel their disapproval of us in terms of money, and that’s only going to hurt the public. Additionally, the stops that they have put out are very important to our residents, and I believe that the motion that we made is enough,” said Clark, who voted along with other council members to approve the resolution.
“I don’t want to put any undue hardship on those homeowners or renters who locate in the town next to a bus stop by holding up what is obviously inevitable. I am not withdrawing my objections, but I am placing them on the record,” she said.
Contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@gmnews.com.
