Dear Assemblywoman Lopez,
I am writing to you today about a very serious matter that has arisen for me and my neighbors in Carteret, NJ regarding a project that is being funded by the State of New Jersey, which will be a huge negative for our community if it goes forward in its present form.
The project I am talking about is the Carteret Avenue road extension through the Meridian Square complex, where I live, and the rest of our quiet residential neighborhood that stretches several blocks to the waterfront.
The borough says the road extension is necessary to divert traffic to a proposed new ferry terminal project the mayor has planned, along with other massive waterfront developments. The mayor is attempting to use the power of eminent domain to condemn a significant part of our apartment complex so the borough can build the commuter road to carry speeding cars and buses to a ferry. That does not make sense and it is dangerous.
Adjacent to our complex is a grammar school that will also be impacted by the proposed new road and the traffic it will bring to our neighborhood. I fear for the safety of not only families that reside in the community but for the children and their parents who drop off and pick up their children twice a day in addition to attending school special events. The safety concern is also extended for the teachers and other school staff.
The state Department of Transportation and the state legislature are pouring millions of dollars of taxpayer money into the ferry project and other aspects of the mayor’s waterfront redevelopment that virtually no one in our neighborhood knows anything about. There has ‘not’ been one public hearing on the mayor’s waterfront proposal.
Assemblywoman Lopez, you are uniquely positioned to get answers from the state DOT as to why they are funding this road that will endanger an entire neighborhood and a school. I hope you will come to our aid and get the DOT to take a deeper look into the Carteret project and help avoid the destruction of our quality of life and beautiful neighborhood.
Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to read this letter and address this matter. Have a great day, be blessed and stay safe.
Respectfully,