Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-01-16
SOLVING THE HIGHWAY PROBLEM

cinlty of New York, and especially on the highways of New
Jersey which connect New York and Philadelphia, is one of
The greatest problems that the engineers and highway Of
lcials have to solve. An excellent work is being done in
making the new Lincoln highway beginning at the railroad
bridge at Railway and extending all the way into Elizabeth,
wide enough for four cars to pass at one time. With "a fine,
hard, smooth surface and ample width much Of the troubles
encountered on a heavily travelled road is overcome.
This section of the Lincoln highway from Railway into
Newark is particularly crowded because it has to carry the
traffic of two of the main state highway routes, Routes No. 4
and No. J.. One of these routes is The main artery of traffic
across the state between New York and Philadelphia, and
the other is the main artery between The cities and the Mon.
mouth coast resorts. When the traffic of these two routes
come together on a single highway the need of a broad
thoroughfare is apparent.
But another section of highway where there is a great
concentration of traffic is that part of the Lincoln highway
between Metuchen and New Brunswick. This is a part of
Route No. 4 of the state highway system. Practically all the
traffic north and south in the state has to use this six miles
Of road as it is the approach to the Albany street bridge
across the Rartan river. This particular section of the
Lincoln highway, therefore, ought also to be built much
wider than it is today.
South of New Brunswick there are at present two state
highway routes to choose from. One is by the Cranbury
turnpike to Cranbury and Hightstown, and the other is by
way Of Franklin Park, Kingston and Princeton. The latter
route is the more popular because of the excellent stretch of
concrete pavement striking testimonial of how the aver
age driver feels on the subject of paving surfaces.
But this Franklin Park-Kingstonr route, because of its
popularity, is becoming more and more congested. 1t is
none too wide for present traffic and as time goes on it is
going to be dangerous.
There is, however, now building, a new road making
almost a direct line between New Brunswick and Trenton.
This road is already paved part of the way. This most direct
route passes through a desolate part of the country, with
practically no towns or settlements along the route for the
whole distance from New Brunswick to Trenton. All grades
have been practically eliminated so that it would make an
ideal route for trucks and heavy sow-moving vehicles.
Once this new route between New Brunswick and
Trenton is completed would it now be feasible to force all
trucks to use it barring them from the other two routes, ex-
cept for such local service as might be required? This would
reserve the other two routes, particularly the route to
Princeton, for passenger vehicles exclusively.
Should this regulation be made and the stretch of
highway between Metuchen and New Brunswick widened,
the highway transportation problem across New Jersey would
be largely solved. For the safety of the highway, if not for
the convenience of those who travel, some such regula-
lion as this should be put into effect.