During this campaign season we heard a lot about "bridges to nowhere". In 2009, Hillsborough could very well see construction begin on our very own "highway to nowhere" - the Route 206 bypass. The planned road will take northbound motorists from Montgomery Township and points south on a parallel course east of the old Route 206, around Hillsborough's "downtown", and link back up with the current highway near Old Somerville Road.
Anyone who has tried to travel north out of Hillsborough during rush hour knows that traffic doesn't get bad until AFTER Old Somerville Road! The real snarl begins at Triangle Road, and continues to Brown Avenue. This is the section of Route 206 that needs to be improved - with or without the bypass.
It is encouraging to see that at least some of our leaders have now acknowledged the importance of this section of highway. Last week Mayor Ferrera called on New Jersey's US Senators to include the widening of Route 206 between Old Somerville Road and Brown Avenue in any new economic stimulus package.
This $108 million project is the only part of the 206 bypass plan that could actually stand on its own - without the CSX bridge reconfiguration in Belle Mead or the bypass itself - yet it is the only part of the plan that has had no funds allocated thus far. Amazing!
Mayor Ferrera, keep the pressure on. Let's make sure the 206 bypass becomes a "road to somewhere".
Somewhere other than the world's largest traffic jam, that is.
No comments:
Post a Comment