Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1924-12-30
Madison Township Assn in
Large Numbers at Meeting
Called by FreeholderS
EXPENSES ARE STRESSED
Louis Booz Acts as Spokes-
man for Delegation Attack
ing New Plan of State

NEW BRUNSWICK, Dec. 3O.-At
the meeting of the Board of Free
holders held at the county record
building last night for the purpose
of hearing comments upon the pro-
posed plan of the State Highway
Commission to widen the road from
South Amboy to Keyport. Louis 2.
iBooz. engineer of Perth Amboy. ap-
pearing as a representative OF the
Madison Township improvement.
Association entered a strong objec-
tion against the new route object as
loutiined by the State Highway Com
mission to relieve the shore route
Jam. Forty members of the assoeia-
ton appeared personally at thu
hearing. The engineer pointed out
that the widening of the Morgan
meadows would be an expensive
undertaking. that the enterprise does
not warrant the expenditure of
huge sum of money and further con-
tended that after The work has been
done, it will not solve the problem
which faces the motorist at the
presen time.
Mr.. Booz pointed out that after
the present plan has been completed
| by the commission, the stagnation of
! tlaffic at South Amboy will remain
! apparently the Same. The forty FOOT
road now contemplated will only take
care of about 25 per cent more traf-
I fic, the engineer said but the length
of the improvement is not far enough
south to bring any material changes
in helping the traffic problem.
He suggested, as has been done at
previous hearings, the Cheesequake
road. The inland route will cost less
J money, the engineer said, than the
improving of about 5000 feet across
the meadows. 1T will take over five
years to properly build Up the strip
Of swamp" Mr.. Booz said. Here the
| representative remarked that land
owners rlong the Cheesequake road
are ready and willing to give a strip
! of land to the state free for the pur-
| pose of adjusting the inland route,
which would allow traffic to proceed
at a rate of thirty miles an hour.
The engineer said that from gem
eral observation made, motorists even
today use the inland route, despite
the fact that it is not paved. "Driv-
ing through the peaceful countryside
without the stress and furry of traf-
fic jams is made a pleasure and many
motorists prefer the inland route or
better known as the Cheesequake
road.
! Franklin Buchanan, assistant to
County Engineer Morgan +. Larson,
produced some interesting figures at
| the hearing. He said that the pres
! ent proposed improvement of the
State Highway Commission will cost
in the proximity to $1,500,000. The
inland route, the Cheesequake road,
as advocated by the people could be
| improved at a cost of 81 100000. Mr..
Buchanan said. adding that in this
sum is included figure of 100000
=, for the acquisition of lands along the
/ route.
| Abraham Jelin, a member of the
State Highway Commission present
at hearing said that the highway
commission must function within
the law and accordingly afford re-
| lief for traffic. The highway COM
missioner said that even If the legis-
lators at the forthcoming session
vote to extend the route No. 4, over
Cheesequake road as advocated by
! the freeholders and others, the COM
mission would not be able to finance
the improvement. as the $40,000,000
bond issue on which the commits
sioners are working stipulates just
where the money Is to be expended.
Mr.. Jelin said that engineers of the
highway commission have been
making studies or the situation for
over year and that all points have
been given due consideration.
Mr.. Jelin assured the freeholders,
however, that should they plan to
improve the Cheesequake road,
which is a county supervised high
way. he would do his utmost to Sc
cure state aid for the Improvement
He also remarked that the presenr
state highway project of the COM
mission to widen the road will be
completed by the spring of 1926.
Mr.. Booz at the conclusion of the
nearing suggested that the real solu-
tion would be to build a twenty foot
wide road from South Amboy TO
Eatontown, a stretch of about twenty
miles which would run parallel to
the present route. He estimated the
cost at s1,000.O00.
1t was resolved to appoint a COM
mittee which would meet the State
Highway Commission on Tuesday
afternoon of next week to look into
the legal aspects of the situat ton and
determine whether the highway
commissions powers are as curtailed
as they seem to be.
The committee includes the entire
Board of Freeholders, County Solicit
tor Frederick Richardson, Mr.. Bu-
chanan. Mr.. Booz. five members of
the Madison Township Improvement
Association, William Gross. Richard
Burlew Sr., Robert Higgins. James
Barlew and Louis SchulmeiSfer