Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-19

One viii Improve Brunswick
Pike-Other Runs to Water
Gap District

TRENTON, Nov. 19:-Two high
| way projects urgently demanded for
| the benefit of the travelling puhhc
| are receiving the special study OF the
| State Highway Commission
One will provide a more direct
| route for the central and southein
part of the state in reaching north
! ern New Jersey through Hunterdon
! county and will be especially adv2n-
| tageous for those going to the Defa
| ware Water Gap district.
The other will improve the re
| manning nine miles of the Brunswick
| Pike. the longest straight road IN
| New Jersey. The Pike. which ex-
| tends from Trenton to New Bruins
! wick, is now in good condition prac-
tically as far as Ridge Road, In ~
dlesex county. NJ
Legislation will probably be re-
| quired to bring about the change as
| neither section has as yet been desis-
mated as a state highway.
Special interest is being AIKEN IN
Hunterdon county a It's mn.
ances are so poor that very little
| construction work can be done now.
| A pioneer in the building of water
bound macadam highways, Hunter
don assumed debts through bonds
for carrying charges. Modern trans
p~ortation demands, however, quick
Iy disintegrated the roads but the
county Is still left with the interest
burden. Other counties with huge
| ratables were able to recoup them
selves but the sparsely settled terri
tory of Hunterdon gives it the low
est net valuation in taxable ratables
in the State.
During the last session Of the leg
| islature, Senator Agans of Hunter
| don introduced a bill for a state
highway which would take care OF
| the problem by giving a route as far
as Buttzville in Warren county, but
in the closing hours of the session
| it was not approved with other road
| bills which were passed. Because
of the extremely poor condition OF
| the thoroughfares in that section
| now, the majority of automobiles
find it necessary to travel through
| PENNSYLVANIA and then recross the
| Delaware river to New Jersey when
| they get nearer their destination.
At present Hunterdon gains the
| benefit of only IN state highway,
| Route No. 8, which passes across
it in joining Warren and Somerset
counties.
To provide for feeders and assist
the counties. the state highway de-
partment suggested to Mercer, Hunt
rdon and Warren counties that they
apply for Federal aid for a route
which would pass through Penning.
ton, w~oodsville, Ringoes, Flemings
ton. Clinton, Glen Gardner, Ramps
ton. Washington and Buttzville, to
join State Highway Route No. 5. The
f~reeholders have acted upon the
suggestion but no additional fede1ak
aid will be available in New JelN
for more than a year. This, too, W.
be governed by the ability of the
counties to devote their funds to the
route and in the cas- of Hunterdon
this Is considered doubtful.
The New Brunswick Pike would
shorten the route to New York three
miles, but the grade crossing of the
Pennsylvania railroad at Livingston
avenue in New Brunswick is an OBJ
stacle requiring a large expenditure
for its elimination. The winding
course of Route 10 from Kingston
to New Brunswick vas an old Indian
trail. following the path of least re-
sfstance, which was adopted by the
white settlers. The Brunswick Pike
was surveyed before being laid out
and would provide an artery te
greatly facilitate travel and less Q
the danger from accidents. It's acs
vantages owe the surrounding thor
oughfares are so evident that users
of 1t have come to refer to it as the
straight Turnpike instead of the
Brunswick Turnpike.