Home News Article Route 1 and 130 / Millers Rentals

Routes 1/130 work complete

Published in the Home News Tribune 7/03/03

Improved safety at intersection

By CRAIG YETSKO
STAFF WRITER

NORTH BRUNSWICK: With construction workers by their side, state and local officials yesterday dedicated the new routes 1 and 130 interchange that was more than 30 years in the making.

The $55 million improvement project, for which ground was broken in December 2001, was launched to replace the partial traffic circle at the junction of routes 1 and 130 and Georges Road.

Initial planning began in the 1960s, and a final configuration was developed by township officials and residents in the mid-1990s.

Standing on the bridge that connects Georges Road to Route 130, Gov. James E. McGreevey said, "Literally, improvements to this intersection were a matter of life and death."

The roadway had often been called "Death Highway" because it had one of the highest accident rates in the state.

It also is one of the most traveled intersections, with an estimated 130,000 motorists passing through daily.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere said, "The new interchange expands local and regional safety and enables traffic to flow freely, improving the efficiency and operating conditions of our highway system."

The project eliminated the traffic circle and signal on routes 1 and 130 and replaced them with connector ramps.

It also included creation of a frontage road for businesses along northbound Route 1 between Route 130 and Milltown Road; widening of Route 1 to six lanes through the interchange; improved drainage and lighting; new traffic signals on the interchange approaches, and installation of sidewalks and safe pedestrian crossing areas.

Tom Hardell, president and chief operating officer at George Harms Construction Co., said more than 100 workers were on the job at the peak of construction. They included laborers from the United Steel Workers of America Local 15024 and highway laborers from Locals 472 and 172.

"This is just an amazing improvement for the community," he said.

Mayor David Spaulding called the interchange a "welcome change for everyone."

He lauded the efforts of George Harms Construction and the DOT for their partnership with the township. "We are really pleased with the job they've done," he said.

The friendly relationship developed after Spaulding halted construction a week after the project began. A main concern was the danger for drivers pulling out onto Route 130 from side roads near Route 1.

"We didn't know if we could legally do that," he said. "We were concerned about the safety of residents."

Officials at George Harms and the DOT agreed with Spaulding's decision.

Former Mayor Paul Matacera called the dedication an end to a 20-year personal journey. "I never ever thought I would be standing over Route 1 and feeling safe," he said.

Matacera, who served for 17 years as mayor, said the new interchange will both help residents get from one side of town to the other and assist non-residents in traveling to their destinations.

Original plans were scrapped in the 1970s in favor of a less expensive cloverleaf. But as traffic and accidents increased in the early 1980s, Matacera lobbied state officials to use new federal transportation money to finance an overpass. After years of negotiations and ditched designs, the state agreed to install a new interchange.

The first plan offered in 1990 was blasted by residents and local officials who said it was too confusing and affected too many homes and businesses. The DOT agreed to come back with changes.

In a 1993 public showdown over the two plans, North Brunswick's version won out.

Long-time township resident Gus Kuhlman said the problems with the area date back to the 1940s. Kuhlman, 85, said at that time Route 130 was a two-lane road and there was one death a week due to head-on collisions.

Kuhlman, who was a councilman from 1958 to 1963 and a 35-year member of the Planning Board, said the state began to look at the intersection during the mid-1960s.

He said in the late '60s, the state came up with a plan for an overpass at the circle which would have cost $8 million. "It would have been torn down," he said. "It would have never been able to handle this traffic."

During the early 1990s, Kuhlman, along with Matacera and former township administrator J. Paul Keller, were members of a committee to make changes to the interchange design.

"I knew what was coming," he said. "I am happy to live long enough to drive over it."

Craig Yetsko: (732) 565-7352; yetsko@thnt.com

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