Officials 'blew off' petition on Rt. 35 work

At its May 4 meeting, the Holmdel Township Committee majority speedily endorsed a T&M Associates' (township engineer) proposal to widen Route 35 between Lowe's [Home Improvement Warehouse] and Centerville Road for creating three southbound lanes.

This majority "blew off" a petition signed by more than 70 residents of nearby neighborhoods (Miller Avenue, Orchard Avenue and Mulberry Lane) that expressed concern over this Route 35 expansion. A meeting with these concerned residents was supposed to have been held before any action was taken. Instead, a public relations letter sent to these neighborhoods by this expansion's purveyor, T&M Associates, was deemed to be an adequate response to this petition.

The majority's logic in endorsing this expansion is indeed strange: Committeeman Dr. Rocco Pascucci says he has trouble getting out of his office at Bethany and Route 35, and this is enough reason for him to widen the highway. Furthermore, the Township Committee majority evidently sees no problem when the proposed half-mile of the southbound third lane encounters the two-lane section immediately south of Centerville Road. While T&M asserts this proposed third lane would never carry any traffic continuing southbound on Route 35 (but only turning traffic), the means for assuring this were not shown.

Committeeman Larry Fink - who voted against the costly project - gave substantial reasons as to the ineffectiveness of the third lane in permanently relieving congestion. Fink cited studies showing that volumes of additional traffic develop in most corridors after their capacities are increased. Fink suggested traffic might move more efficiently with simple, cost-effective improvements to the phasing of the traffic light system along this portion of Route 35. Fink is also critical of this piecemeal change, remarking that no solid study or plan is available for Route 35 as it passes through Hazlet, Holmdel and Middletown.

Township Committeeman Terence Wall requested more information and more time to study this issue - request denied by the majority! The present Township Committee majority has demonstrated hasty, poor-quality decision-making, ignoring residents concerns and fiscal restraint on this Route 35 expansion issue.

Roberta Kaufman

Holmdel