Fair Lawn News

Matt Ahearn	Bob Gordon	Ed Trawinski

If any local elected officials are propounding this idea, I think it is foolhardy political thinking aimed at attracting campaign contributions from certain businesses that do that type of contracting with the state. That is the only economy that might be served. The 208 expansion concept disregards the reality of the very engineering design of the recent (and costly) highway interchange work. This work was done to bring the interchanges into line with the extended highway network as it exists, including Rts. 4 and 208. It solved a problem, expanding the feeder highways would only recreate the interchange congestion that existed in the past (and still occurs on occasion). As implied in the question, such an expansion would be counter to the State Master Plan in the works to limit growth in the watershed areas to the North and West of us. I also think the proponents of this idea should spend some time with the people whose homes would need to be taken in order to expand the highway and get in touch with those they claim to represent. If any state highway needs expanding it is Route 17 South of the Rt 4 interchange. If there is state or federal highway money for 208 put it into sound barriers for heaven's sake!	I spoke with officials at the state, county and municipal levels. No one I contacted is familiar with any specific proposal to expand Route 208 in the near future. If a plan to widen Route 208 were to materialize, I would have serious reservations, including concerns about the environmental impact. First, a proposal to widen the highway is certain to delay the construction of the noise barriers that Fair Lawn residents have been demanding for over 15 years. I recently spoke with residents along Northern Drive while walking door-to-door in that area, and can say that the homeowners adjacent to the highway are furious about the delays in the project. During the 1980s, while I was Mayor, I worked with these residents to press our legislators for relief from the noise. Many promises were made, but we saw little action. Finally, the McGreevey administration authorized funding for the barriers, but the project was put on hold when the Transportation Commissioner ordered a review of all noise barrier projects throughout the state. The consensus is that the Fair Lawn barriers will not be built unless the agency is “pushed.” If elected to the Assembly, I will push as hard as it takes. I will make it clear to the bureaucrats that noise relief along Route 208 and other nearby highways is a priority of this district. Second, I believe Fair Lawn residents have other transportation priorities. While the congestion on Route 208 is serious during commuting hours, sections of Route 17 and other major corridors in central Bergen are worse. These roads need to be improved and we need to invest in better rail service. Moreover, we will need to make major improvements in and around “Xanadu,” the new recreational facility planned for the Meadowlands. Xanadu can be an economic engine for the entire region, but without new mass transit and other transportation improvements, the potential benefits could be negated by the traffic impacts. Investments in new road and rail projects around the site will be essential for relieving congestion in the Meadowlands and any spillover in the Fair Lawn area. Finally, widening Route 208 would hinder current efforts to contain sprawl, preserve open space and protect our watershed. Such a project would damage sensitive areas near the Saddle River, and will stimulate more sprawl in the open areas to the northwest that supply our drinking water. If history is any guide, any congestion relief, will be temporary.	With respect to the possible widening of Route 208, during my tenure on the Route 4 and 17 Interchange Committee, there was considerable discussion about the widening of Route 4 and 208. At that time it was agreed that the issue would need to be studied and evaluated once the effect of the new Route 4 and 17 interchange and the new Route 208 and 4 interchange were known. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no backup on Route 208 as a result of the new Route 4 and 17 interchange and the new Route 4 and 208 interchange. In fact, traffic seems to be moving a bit smoother. However, I do support further study and evaluation which should be approached with the same care and analysis that was done for the new Route 4 and 17 interchange. The issue of installing sound barriers on Route 208 in Fair Lawn, regardless of whether or not it is widened, still remains and still is essential. Under Assemblyman Felice, monies had been included in the State budget and while I was Mayor the Council committed to support the project. Evidently, the monies have been dropped from the McGreevey budget, and I would work very, very hard to have the funding restored so that the sound barriers can be installed regardless of whether or not Route 208 is widened. If Governor McGreevey gets what the NJDEP has proposed which is to funnel large amounts of development into Bergen County as a "green" or development area under the BIG map there will be much more pressure to widen Route 208. In effect the Governor and the NJDEP are forcing sprawl into Bergen County which, in turn, will probably force Route 208 to be widened.