BOND ISSUE VOTE FOR JERSEY ROADS Publication: The New York Times Date: 6 November 1927 Subjects: American Government , Roads & Highways

KEEN interest is being shown by motorists throughout New Jersey in the results of the referendum vote for the issuance of a new highway bond issue of $30,000,000 which will be determined by the citizens of that State at polls next Tuesday. The bonds are a small part of the funds appropriated for the five-year highway construction and improvement program adopted by the State Legislature last Spring. A total expenditure of $164,341,418 is involved.

Although the bond issue alone is at stake in the coming election, the voters, in effect, will be putting their stamp of approval or disapproval upon the road program by ratifying or rejecting the bond issue. The road program was adopted by the Legislature upon recommendation of the State Highway Commission, composed of General Hugh L. Scott of Princeton, Chairman; Percy H. Stewart of Plainfield, Walter Kidde of Montclair and Abraham Jelin of New Brunswick. The commission's report was predicated on a survey made by Major W. G. Sloan, State Highway Engineer.

Rejection of the bond issue will not mean rejection of the highway program, although the program necessarily would be curtailed because of the loss of funds involved in the bond issue. Besides the bond issue, there are five other sources of revenue for the Highway Commission. Most important is the newly enacted gasoline tax of two cents, which is expected to yield approximately $57,250,000 in five years. Motor vehicle funds are expected to contribute $50,000,000, and $8,000,000 is left over from the present road program bonds. The State expects to receive $6,500,000 from Federal aid funds and $12,300,000 from the present road tax of one mill.

The new program will give the State a total of 1,881 miles under State control. Roads designated as primary would have a mileage of 1,074, of which 640 miles involve new construction. Secondary routes would include 634 miles, whith 378 new construction. In addition there would be a special road bisecting Essex County and construction of terminal loops in the metropolitan, Trenton and Camden areas. In all, about 1,150 miles of new roadway would be built. The present road system contains 41 legislated routes, with a total of 1,459 miles, of which 878 miles have been taken over by the Highway Commission.

The new highway system, it is estimated by Major Sloan, will care for traffic conditions for at least twenty years. It seeks to take care of two types of traffic in the State, one running between the various cities in New Jersey and adjoining States and the other mainly serving seashore traffic. The highway system was planned by Major Sloan to conform to existing and probable future traffic flows. Practically every large city in the State is made easily accessible to other cities, both in and out of New Jersey. The importance of connecting with out-of-State cities is understood, when it is learned that foreign cars—that is, those from other States—on New Jersey roads have nearly tripled in three years.

A feature of the new system is the construction of roads so that they pass around and not through important cities. Investigations made by the engineer in seven cities which are highway junction points revealed that there is a great financial loss because of congestion where highway routes follow main or important streets through cities. Major Sloan reported that large expenditures seemingly would be justified to effect a separation of through and local traffic by carrying the through traffic around the seven municipalities where such congestion occurs in its worst form.

These cities are New Brunswick, South Amboy, Paterson, Morristown, Bridgeton, Plainfield and Asbury Park. The cost of by-passing these cities is placed at $11,925,350.

Of the three terminal routes, the Camden loop is almost completed. This is Crescent Boulevard, extending in a semicircle around the fringes of the city. Only the southern half remains to be completed.

The Trenton terminal route would consist of an outer loop extending from a point near the Yardley bridge across the Delaware, north of the city, and going in a semicircular path around Trenton to a point near Bordentown. It would intersect five routes out of Trenton, being No. 30, to Buttzville, by way of Flemington and Washington; No. 27, Newark by way of Princeton, New Brunswick and Rahway; No. 26, direct to New Brunswick; No. 33, Asbury Park, via Hightstown and Freehold, and No. 32, Seaside Heights, via Lakehurst. At Bordentown the terminal route would connect with Route No. 25 to Camden and Route No. 39 to Da Costa, on the White Horse pike.

In the metropolitan area, the terminal route would include an outer belt line from the proposed Fort Lee Bridge plaza on the north to the Outerbridge plaza at Perth Amboy on the south. It would go by way of Hackensack, Paterson, Caldwell, Millburn, Cranford and Rahway, as far as possible by passing the congested parts of the cities. The special route bisecting Essex County would extend through Central Avenue, Newark, and would serve to connect the Lincoln Highway with the proposed Fort Lee-Perth Amboy loop route at Livingston.

This construction would call for widening of streets and eliminiation of grade crossings. Although admittedly an exception to the general highway system, the route is considered important because it would affect parts of four counties, embracing one-fifth of the State's population.

The new highway system covers the State with a network of roads which is heaviest in the metropolitan area, and lightest in the mountainous region of Northwest New Jersey and the pine belt of South Jersey. But even in these two areas new roads will be constructed. One will lead from the New York State line to Columbia, on the Delaware River, through Sussex and Warren Counties. There will be a direct route south from Trenton to DaCosta, passing through Red Lion. Another route will connect Lakehurst with Trenton, and a third will run from Camden to Lakehurst by way of Marlton, Red Lion and Whitings. A connecting road is also to run between Four Mile, on the latter road, to Manahawken, on the South Jersey coast.

All these roads will not require new construction, since county roads would be taken over by the State Highway Commission in most instances. Other roads which had been designated as “legislated routes” under the existing system, but not actually taken over, are dropped from the new scheme.

A connecting road between Matawan and Freehold would cut out sixteen miles off the highway between Perth Amboy and Cape May City and other South Jersey shore resorts. Better road facilities are also provided from the metropolitan area to the North Jersey seashore resorts.

Contemplated construction of new bridges is taken care of in the new scheme by providing adequate approach roads. The metropolitan area network links up with the bridges over the Hudson River, Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull. In effect, Staten Island highways will be a link in the new system by providing a connecting road between bridges at both ends of the island. From the Palmyra-Tacony Bridge over the Delaware River, an approach road will intersect the Camden-Trenton, Camden-Mount Holly and Camden-Lakehurst highways and connect with the White Horse Pike at Berlin.