August - September 2002 Edition 

Route 208 Barriers  John and LuAnn Acampora sent letters to local officials recently regarding Route 208 sound barriers.   Here's their letter and the state's response.  They referred to articles written in two local newspapers (not Fair Lawn News).    The Letter  In 2001 we were ecstatic to read in two local Fair Lawn newspapers that due to the efforts of Nicholas Felice and persistent residents of Fair Lawn, approval was obtained to build sound barriers along Route 208. The articles stated that commitment was secured from then Commissioner of Transportation, James Weinstein, the project was due to begin in 2003 and the cost for the project would be incurred by the DOT.     Most recently we came across an article in the Feb/Mar issue of Fair Lawn News (www.fairlawnnews.com) that explained that the project is “not even close to being a done deal” and that the state has not awarded the funds to build the sound barriers. It also explained that although a bill was introduced in the Assembly for the project, the bill never became law. Assemblyman Ahearn explained in the article that key to passing the law is the support of sponsors in the Assembly so that the bill can be assigned to a committee where it will be determined whether the bill will be considered. So, support by residents of Fair Lawn, in turn, is critical.   As residents of Fair Lawn with a home along the Route 208 corridor we are asserting that we, and our neighbors, most certainly support this project as it is extremely important to the quality of our everyday lives in Fair Lawn.    Imagine our surprise and disappointment upon reading the most recent report in Fair Lawn News that this project is not “a done deal”. We certainly appreciate the extraordinary efforts made to date by all involved parties.    Due to a recent conversation with his office we know that Assemblyman Ahearn is still actively supporting this project. We sincerely ask for his continued efforts and the support of all our government officials, especially Assemblywoman Rose Marie Heck and Senator Joseph Coniglio on this important endeavor.    By way of this letter, we are also asking the local newspapers to give the same attention to the current status of the project and the continued need for public support as was given to the more optimistic reports published last year. Obviously the information we receive is critical to our ability to inform the appropriate parties of our continued support.     Thank you in advance for your time, effort and continued support and we look forward to the day when construction begins.     From Arthur D. Silber, Assistant Commissioner, Capital Program Management for the State of New Jersey Department of Transportation:  "Thank you for your letter concerning noise mitigation for Fair Lawn residents adjacent to Route 208.  Infrastructure deterioration, traffic congestion, safety and quality of life of New Jersey residents are all important issues.  Regrettably, the improvement needs far outweigh the funding available to adequately address all of these issues.  New Jersey faces a very difficult and challenging task in this regard.  We must be prudent with our spending; looking for cost effective solutions, while remaining fair in the application of our policies.  At this time, the Department cannot initiate a project to design and construct noise mitigation for Fairlawn.  However, we will keep it in our priorities for future mitigation when funding permits."