The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By Brad Fay.
Is it just me, or do New Jersey Republicans have a strange obsession with shutting down critically important bridges? Governor Christie’s shutdown of the George Washington Bridge may be more famous, but here in Somerset County, state and local Republicans have left our roads tied in knots by the stoppage of work on the Route 518 Bridge over the Millstone River between Franklin Township and Rocky Hill.
As a resident on nearby Canal Road, my wife and I can testify to the impact on our commutes and on the quality of life in a historic neighborhood overrun by diverted traffic. The bridge closure is risking public safety and creating nightmarish traffic jams for everyday people just trying to earn a living.
Repair of the bridge started in early July, after Governor Christie threatened to stop all road projects over the state budget impasse, yet our county Freeholders allowed the construction to proceed on a critical county-owned bridge on a county-owned road. Two days after the project began, and the bridge was no longer passable, the governor made good on his threat and stopped work. A 6-week project scheduled for the lower traffic volume summer months remains closed with no end in sight.
Faced with mounting public outcry, on September 14 the all-Republican Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders put out a press release to announce what appears to be a sham proposal to re-start construction with county money but without impacting county taxes. Really? One month later, nothing has changed at the crossing and does anybody believe county money can be spent without impacting taxes?
This is what you get from decades of single-party rule by a party that puts special interests ahead of the public interest. The September press conference was just a ploy to mollify voters in advance of a competitive election.
The best way for the public to send a message is to vote for the Democrat, Doug Singleterry, for Freeholder. Doug is a good guy who has capably served the people of North Plainfield as a councilman since 2005. By adding him to the 5-member board, we can finally have somebody asking the tough questions and holding a cozy clique accountable.
