Guest Opinion: Rt. 55 is Unneeded, Environmentally Destructive, a Waste of Money
Friday, December 23, 2016
NJ Sierra Club
The “Road to Nowhere” also known as the Cape May Expressway or Rt. 55 is environmentally destructive and will cause more traffic in the area. The New Jersey Sierra Club has been fighting this project for years. The proposed 20-mile road would link the terminus of Route 55 in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, with the Garden State Parkway in Dennis Township, Cape May County. The project would cut through significant wetlands, open spaces, internationally recognized bird habitat, and the Pinelands National Reserve, increasing traffic and pollution in an environmentally sensitive region of the state. The highway was proposed to ease traffic between Philadelphia and the beaches of Cape May.
However, we believe this will actually cause more congestion, inappropriate development, and destruction of environmental sensitive lands. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club released the following statement:
“Rt. 55 should never be extended, which is why we have been fighting it for over 30 years. This “Road to Nowhere” will destroy the environmental sensitive Pinelands National Reserve, while harming thousands of acres open space, increasing runoff while increasing inappropriate development. This project will not only destroy wetlands, it will interfere with over 150 different migratory birds and endangered species. This road is even more unnecessary given the clear alternatives that can be taken like widening other county roads, creating a reversible third lane on Rt. 47, and increasing mass transit.”
“New Jersey is also the only state in the nation that has week-to-week rentals at the Jersey Shore from Saturday to Saturday. Traffic would be significantly lessened if this was extended to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday like the Outer Banks. What is even worse is that extending Rt. 55 will create a huge bottleneck somewhere else like the Garden State Parkway. We need to be fixing the existing northern part of Rt. 55, which is one of the most dangerous highways in New Jersey before extending this unneeded and destructive road through the Pinelands.”
“For birders and beachgoers no place in New Jersey can top the pristine beauty of Cape May County. The expansive wetlands and open spaces that define the area are threatened by the extension of Route 55. It would negatively affect the Manumuskin River, Muskee Creek, Little Mill Branch, West Creek, East Creek, Willis Run, Old Robin Branch, Dennis Creek, and Sluice Creek. There would also be secondary impacts would be the Maurice River and Delaware Bay. The superhighway would traverse Belleplain State Forest and the Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area. In addition it will cut through the endangered species habitat, the Pinelands National Reserve and internationally recognized bird habitat. We had even sent letters to elected officials to oppose this proposal because we consider it one of the most devastating projects on the eastern seaboard.”
“We will continue to come out against this project because it will not only open up the area for more sprawl and overdevelopment, but is a huge waste of taxpayer money. The project was estimated at $1 billion dollars, but similar projects in other states have ended up being much more. The cost is particularly out of line with the benefit. This project is not only a tragedy to the environment, but robs the taxpayers when other alternatives are on the table. The plan to extend Rt. 55 is one of the reasons why we opposed the bad TTF deal because we are afraid of the money going towards the unnecessary extension of Rt. 55 or building a Pinelands Highway.”