On February 4, Sussex County Freeholder Susan Zellman announced that funding for the widening of Route 206 in Byram Township had been removed from NJDOT’s 10-Year Capital Plan, citing a lack of local support. After years of battling this unsustainable and environmentally detrimental project, this is a great victory for the Highlands as well as communities around the state faced with unwanted highway expansion projects.

The planned widening of Route 206 was controversial from its inception, with local opposition swelling as the years went by. Byram’s officials and resident volunteers, utilizing numerous state-funded smart growth planning grants, had spent over ten years developing a land-use plan that included a walkable, pedestrian-friendly village center (see, for example, MTR # 374). However, somewhere in its internal discussions NJDOT decided to abandon Byram’s vision for that of a five-lane highway straight through the downtown, a plan released in 2005 (see MTR # 496). That year, the Byram Township Council passed resolutions against the project, and brought in a team of planning and traffic engineering consultants that offered NJDOT an alternate vision for Byram. However, NJDOT officials were not interested in dialogue or the “Contextually Sensitive Design” they had promised would be part of the plan for Rt. 206 (see MTR # 521).

In order to build in the protected Highlands area, NJDOT applied for a “roadway repair and rehabilitation” exemption from the Department of Environmental Protection. NJDEP denied this initial application, suggesting that NJDOT instead apply for a “safety” exemption – which was granted, even though NJDOT had not justified the project on grounds of safety (see MTR # 545). North Byram Concerned Citizens (a grassroots anti-widening group), the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the Highlands Coalition, Sierra Club, NJ Environmental Federation, and NJ Conservation Foundation rallied local and regional opposition to the unnecessary development. Some of these organizations later filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the exemption. In 2007, NJDOT agreed to a remand of the lawsuit, effectively withdrawing its exemption (see MTR # 557). With the Rt. 206 expansion out of the 10-Year Capital Plan, there is no funding for the project, and it cannot move forward.

NJDOT Official Promises Backroom Deal

There is still lingering hope on the part of the pro-widening mayor and township manager that the widening will proceed, despite the vote of no confidence from DOT chiefs. A recent email from an official in NJDOT’s Community Relations office to Byram Township Manager Joe Sabatini revealed backroom promises. In an amazing display of impropriety, the official promises to “do EVERYTHING [sic] that I can possibly do from my end to make sure this project stays on track.” The email goes on to explain that “EVERYTHING” includes pressuring the Deputy Commissioner and working to get the Capital Plan rejected by NJTPA, the metropolitan planning organization for northern NJ.

Despite the disquieting last-ditch efforts to push this plan forward, New Jersey (in this case) has recognized the necessity of local input, sustainable projects and context sensitive design. Unfortunately, Highlands communities such as Byram have to constantly stave off development to protect NJ’s water supply, the sanctity of wildlife habitat, and the character of their communities. Hopefully, this debacle will serve as a lesson for NJDOT that it must listen to the communities in which it operates.