The following letter was sent to Martin Robins and Jon Carnegie of the Rutgers Transportation Policy Institute by Paula McGuire, a member of the Millstone Bypass Alert! Coalition, requesting clarification of statements made by a member of the West Windsor Township Council. Following the original letter is the response from Mr. Robins and Mr. Carnegie, and after that, Andy Fekete's June 12, 2002 letter
June 26, 2002
Martin E. Robins
Jon A. Carnegie
Transportation Policy Institute
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center
Rutgers University
Suite 500
33 Livingston Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901Dear Martin and Jon,
At the meeting of the West Windsor Planning Board on June 20, West Windsor Council Member Rae Roeder made a statement about a meeting she, the mayor, and the Council had held with Transportation Commissioner James P. Fox on the subject of the so-called Millstone Bypass and the Sarnoff General Development Plan. She indicated that Commissioner Fox said that passage of the GDP by the Planning Board would be the driving force in getting the bypass constructed. She also asked Sarnoff for help in getting the bypass built.
As a member of the Environmental Impact Statement (E.I.S.) Roundtable that has been charged with objectively examining alternatives for mobility in the Penns Neck Area, I am asking for some clarification of this statement. From the onset of the E.I.S. process, members of the Roundtable were told that that the former preferred alignment of the bypass held no more weight than others. If the selection of the former preferred alignment is a foregone conclusion, as seems to be indicated by Ms.Roeder's remarks, then it appears that the E.I.S. would become strictly a pro forma exercise. This would undermine mandated Federal regulations pertinent to the environmental review and the public's trust.
I look forward to any information or explanation you may have.
Sincerely,
Paula McGuire
cc: James P. Fox, Commissioner of Transportation (by fax)
Shing-Fu Hsueh, Mayor, West Windsor Township
Marvin Reed, Mayor, Princeton Borough
Phyllis Marchand, Mayor, Princeton Township
Response from Martin Robins and Jon Carnegie
Paula,
In response to your June 26, 2002 e-mail message, pleased be advised that, since the meeting that Commissioner Fox held with West Windsor officials to which Rae Roeder refers, we have met and conferred with NJDOT leadership, as none of the Rutgers team had attended that meeting.
We can assure you that, with regard to the substantive outcome of the study and the effect of Sarnoff's GDP approval, the position stated in Andy Fekete's June 12, 2002 letter on behalf of the NJ Department of Transportation to Ed Steele, Chairperson of the West Windsor Planning Board, the Department's direction to the Rutgers team remains consistent. We are continuing to evaluate a range of options to improve mobility in the Penns Neck area, and the former "preferred alignment" for the Millstone Bypass has no greater standing in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement than any other alignment or combination of improvements.
In our consultations with NJDOT leadership, it has become clear that the Department has made swift completion of the EIS process a top priority. At the July 9 Roundtable meeting, we will be sharing an updated schedule that complies with the Department's directive to complete the EIS process by April 2003.
Sincerely,
Martin E. Robins & Jon Carnegie
Voorhees Transportation Policy Institute
Letter from Adras Fekete to Edward Steele, Chairman of West Windsor Planning Board
State of New Jersey
Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 600
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0600James E. McGreevey, Governor
James P. Fox, CommissionerJune 12, 2002
Ed Steele, Chairperson
Township of West Windsor
271 Clarksville Road
West Windsor, NJ 08550Dear Mr. Steele:
As you know, for many years, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has had a focused interest in the Route I corridor between Trenton and New Brunswick. Most recently, we have been engaged in the Penns Neck Area Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process which began in April 2001. As part of the EIS process, NJDOT and its consultants have been following the activities of the local planning boards related to master planning and development review.
In this regard, we have been monitoring the West Windsor Planning Board's deliberations with regard to the proposed General Development Plan for the Sarnoff Corporation site. It recently came to my attention that an article published in the May 3, 2002 edition of the Princeton Packet makes reference to the "Millstone Bypass." I am writing to make clear the New Jersey Department of Transportation's (NJDOT) position as it relates to the master plan road referred to as the Millstone Bypass and which is depicted on the Sarnoff Corporation's General Development Plan.
As I have previously noted, NJDOT is presently engaged in the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which will examine a full range of mobility options to address congestion in the Penns Neck area of Route 1 and its environs. This process is being conducted in response to former Governor Christine Whitman's directive to study alternatives to the former Millstone Bypass project.
As such, the range of actions to be considered to address mobility problems in this area is still under development and, as required by Federal Law, must include a "No Build" Alternative. In accordance with federal EIS procedures and guidance, a Preferred Alternative will not be selected until after the DEIS is published and public comment is received and considered. Therefore, at this time, NJDOT does not consider the Millstone Bypass roadway and interchange alignment as the "preferred alternative" for the elimination of the Route 1 traffic signals at Washington Road, Fisher Place and Harrison Street.
We appreciate this opportunity to provide clarification, and look forward to continuing to work cooperatively with West Windsor officials, citizens and other community interests as the EIS process continues. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter more fully, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Andras Fekete, Manager
Bureau of Environmental Servicesc:
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh
W. Dennis Keck
Arthur Silber
William Beetle
Anthony Sabidussi
Jules Oroszvary
Paul Truban
Alex Brown
Martin Robins
Jon Carnegie
Helen Nenhaus
John Kovar
Bypass Articles after July 1, 2001 Bypass Articles before July 1, 2001
|
|
|
|
|