Highway on Trenton’s Last Riverfront

Proposal and Savings
Cancel plans to build the final link of Route 29 in Trenton, New Jersey. The project would cost $85 million — $8 million from federal taxpayers.

Background
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has begun construction of 1.7 miles of new highway along the last remaining area of Trenton’s Delaware River waterfront which is not obscured by highway. In 1995, NJDOT finished a massive complex of highway connections south of Trenton that caused the greatest loss of wetlands in New Jersey history. That complex greatly increased car and truck traffic on local roads in south Trenton along the Delaware River waterfront.

Status
In 1980, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) rejected the proposed project design due to increased traffic, safety concerns, and excessive cost. The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) local office has claimed that NJDOT is not required to supplement the EIS because the four-lane design would be less environmentally harmful than the original six-lane route. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection has issued all permits, and the right-of-way has been cleared of vegetation. South Trenton residents and environmental groups have an appeal pending in federal court in Philadelphia.

Problems with the project

Taxpayer Concerns
The project’s estimated $85 million cost is extremely expensive for 1.7 miles. The original 1980 EIS rejected the current route and design alternative as not prudent or feasible. The design includes below-water structures that would be subject to deterioration and flooding.

Local Community Concerns
Trenton residents were opposed to this project until other projects increased car and truck traffic on local streets. While NJDOT claimed that the only solution is to build this link, it refused to route traffic elsewhere or employ traffic calming techniques on local streets until recently, as part of its construction traffic mitigation plan.

The EIS is 19 years old and a reevaluation document is inadequate. Neither document adequately addresses the issues of pedestrian safety, waterfront access, air quality, induced trip demand, single-occupancy vehicle travel, or demand management measures. Traffic is projected to increase 25 percent in 2020 over 1996 levels with the link built.

Environmental Concerns
The project would increase pollution by attracting more traffic, including increased truck traffic. The project would prevent water’s edge access and disrupt important wetlands and the habitat of an endangered species. NJDOT has failed to adequately investigate the project’s environmental concerns by refusing to officially supplement the EIS.

Contacts
Janine Bauer, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, (212) 268-7474; Maya Van Rossum, Delaware Riverkeeper, (215) 369-1188; Curtis Fisher, New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, Trenton, (609) 394-8155.