Contact Middlesex County Commissioners
Phone:(732) 745-5792
Ronald.Rios@co.middlesex.nj.us
Dear Commissioner Rios
I am a resident Carteret NJ, and I am writing to you about an urgent matter that involves my neighborhood and its safety. I live at the Meridian Square apartment complex on Abbi Road, which is just off of Carteret Avenue.
You may know that Carteret Borough has proposed some very ambitious plans to redevelop the town’s waterfront; including the construction of a hotel, movie studio, a huge commercial building and a commuter ferry.
My concern, and that our entire neighborhood, is not so much with the redevelopment plans, but with the borough’s insistence on building a new commuter road right through our complex and stretching through the neighborhood — across the Peter J. Sica Industrial Highway — to the waterfront. The mayor claims the new road is necessary to service the proposed ferry terminal. We think he is wrong.
My neighbors and I believe that the current roads, Roosevelt Avenue and Industrial Highway (both county roads) can more than adequately handle the ferry traffic. Using those existing county roads to access the ferry will save millions of taxpayer dollars and will preserve our peaceful neighborhood.
To build the proposed Carteret Avenue extension, the borough has used the power of eminent domain to condemn a significant portion of the Meridian Square property. Our complex will suffer terribly from the condemnation. We will lose a significant number of parking spaces and have to contend with the day-and-night commuter traffic rumbling outside our apartments. The entire neighborhood will be forced to endure traffic tie ups, speeding cars, noise and air pollution.
The added traffic will also create a safety hazard for residents and for the children and parents at the nearby Columbus Elementary School. Imagine a steady stream of commuter cars and buses rushing past the school and through our neighborhood to get to the ferry. The potential for car collisions and pedestrian accidents is a horrendous reality.
The proposed extension will require road reconfigurations that will create dangerous intersections with poor sight lines. And the Carteret Road extension will add a new intersection and traffic light with Industrial Highway, a county road. The likelihood of traffic snarls and collisions in neighborhood is great.
Commissioner, all the residents of this neighborhood, those who live in my complex and others who own homes in the area, love our quiet, safe neighborhood. We fear the Borough’s road extension will destroy our quality life and create dangerous conditions in our area. We hope that you will take the time to investigate this issue and find a way to spare the residents and school children from suffering the consequences of the borough’s unwise plan.
Sincerely