The unnecessary widening of the Garden State Parkway between exits 67 and 80 moved one step closer to reality last Friday when the Pinelands Commission stamped its approval on the project, passing a resolution allowing its executive director, John Stokes, to issue a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Commission and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Pinelands Commission exists to “preserve, protect, and enhance the natural and cultural resources of the Pinelands National Reserve” — a 1-million-acre reserve including forests, wetlands, and farms — “and to encourage compatible economic and other human activities consistent with that purpose.” As such, its agreement includes reporting requirements and requires NJTA to preserve hundreds of acres in order to mitigate the wetland damage and encroachment on endangered species habitat that will result from additional highway lanes in the Reserve. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this agreement will do anything to prevent the development impacts of the project.

The greatest impact on the Reserve will come from increased development pressure as land that was once considered too far from major employment centers becomes more accessible when the expanded highway opens. A Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission analysis found that the project could induce incompatible development in the Pinelands around Parkway interchanges 58 and 69; the Pinelands Commission says it has orchestrated land purchases in these areas to discourage secondary impacts near the highway, but has kept the purchases secret. Meanwhile, NJTA claims that the strict regulations contained in the Pinelands’ Comprehensive Management Plan, governing land use within the Pinelands, prevents the zoning changes needed to build out sprawling commuter neighborhoods. But zoning is never static and the very passage of the MOA proves that the management plan can be easily circumvented.

The MOA also requires that Mr. Stokes report to the Commission every two years to ensure there have been no material changes to the project. If there has, the Commission may revoke the agreement and force the NJTA to reapply for approval. Again, the Commission proves to be a step behind. When the NJTA announced its plan to raise tolls last month, the widening project was split into two tiers, with the section between exits 67 and 80 funded immediately from the toll hike, and the other (exits 30-67) left in the lurch with funding to be determined. Given the difficulty in securing capital funds in today’s economic environment, the new funding structure is such a material change. However, the agreement does not address this change, meaning it is already outdated.

The Parkway widening project still requires permit approval from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, but these are expected to be released shortly. Tri-State has argued that this project is fundamentally flawed because it fails to state a clear need for the work in the first place and fails to achieve its stated goal of lasting congestion relief, but it now appears to be one step away from construction.