Danielson defends DOT ‘context-sensitive' design

To the Editor: This letter is in reference to two letters that appeared in The Journal of Feb. 2. First, in a letter against the N.J. Dept. of Transportation’s plans to widen Route 206 in Byram from Acorn Street to the Byram Plaza, Scott Olson omits important facts. He refers to the DOT plan as “a five-lane, 62-foot wide slab of asphalt.” He leaves out the extensive context-sensitive design efforts on the part of the DOT at the request of the Byram council. At the Jan. 17 meeting with our “master plan 3” group and department representatives, the DOT outlined how they were going to install a brick-like, textured center-turning lane and textured cross-walks, as well as sidewalks and curbs tinted and scored all to the township’s choice of colors and pattern. They will be doing plantings along the sidewalks that will extend on both sides of the highway from Acorn St. to Lubber’s Run, and on the west side of the highway from there to Byram Plaza. They will also do at least two center-median plantings, provided that residents do minimal maintenance as needed. It was important to ask the DOT landscape architect if he was an artist or a technician. We established that he sees himself as a creative person, hardly one who would appreciate having his work considered a “slab.” The department wants Route 206 in Byram to be a showcase for context-sensitive design. Olson would prefer Robert Orr’s conceptual “vision,” which calls for a 132 foot wide boulevard from Acorn Street to Byram Plaza. It would then go directly into Byram Plaza and make a sharp turn to meet Route 206 just above the plaza. It calls for almost three times as much asphalt, the taking of over 50 feet of additional right-of-way, incursion into wetlands, acquisition of some buildings, etc. The plan, admittedly conceptual, is fraught with problems even in a most cursory look. It depends on rear-of-building parking and rear-street access. It assumes some type of “jug handle” at Brookwood Road, where the “Brookwood Green” is envisioned, and an enlargement of the Acorn Street jug handle. Orr’s build-out assumes wastewater (sewerage) management capacity that we do not have nor can we anticipate. It would also appear to require acquisition of some residential properties in both East and West Brookwood. It is not a plan that will ease the current traffic problems that are expected to grow exponentially between now and 2020, according to one of Olson’s own traffic experts. The current traffic situation is not only an inconvenience but also a health and safety issue. The highway improvement cannot wait until 2020, and the cost is prohibitive. Also, the last time I checked, 62 feet was less than half of 132 feet. The Dept. of Transportation should go ahead now with the 62 feet, as it is still well within the 132 foot Orr “vision” and the DOT’s current 80 foot right-of-way. The other letter was about traffic light timing. Byram is not in a state of “hostile occupation” by the Dept. of Transportation. We have been in a collaborative process with the department and other partners for years. Route 206 in Byram cannot be compared to Route 206 in Princeton, where it is not directly connected to an interstate highway and it bypasses the business district. The Byram project is necessary and will enhance safety and ease traffic congestion. On the writer’s points: 1. The recent through-time adjustments for the highway have increased queuing for our residents and may well exacerbate seasonal traffic. 2. A check of the DOT signal division records on Route 206 in Byram can correct the alleged equal timing at Waterloo Road and Route 206 mis-information. 3. There are still frequent northbound delays as far back as Netcong Avenue. 4. The “ridiculous and ugly” Catswamp Mountain Project is a safety measure requested by all councils for decades, over and above the previous “band-aid” measures. Driving on Catswamp Mountain will no longer be deadly. 5. What does the writer think about a 132 foot wide, five-lane “boulevard” with on-street parking that eliminates most store front parking? For my part, and on behalf of the majority of Byram residents who support the widening project, the “welcome mat” is out for the N.J. Dept. of Transportation to begin work on Route 206 as soon as possible. We have carefully analyzed all “second opinions” and are opting for the surgery as an informed public, despite the dissemination of misinformation and “selective” information. Eskil S. Danielson Byram