Alpha: No scenic labels
Borough council nixes joining other communities in designation for I-78.
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ALPHA | Efforts to designate Interstate 78 a scenic byway will continue without Alpha’s support, Greenwich Township Mayor Elaine Emiliani said Tuesday night.
Emiliani approached Alpha Borough Council representing a group behind the scenic byway proposal. She hoped for a letter of support from council members.
Instead, she received staunch opposition to the idea.
“It was more of a courtesy to have them involved,” she said after the meeting. “We can and will proceed without them.”
The designation would earn the corridor federal money for safety and aesthetic improvements.
No one on borough council seconded a motion to send a letter of support to the state for the designation.
“I, personally, do not see the benefits of making I-78 a scenic byway,” Alpha Councilman Harry Zikas Jr. said
Billboards that dot the interstate were the biggest sticking points between the council and Emiliani. Restrictions on roadside advertising would accompany the byway designation.
Emiliani, noting the high level of crashes on the corridor, suggested billboard removal could benefit traffic safety.
Alpha Mayor Ed Hanics Jr. said the digital billboards Emiliani criticized can serve the public in several ways, including Amber Alerts.
Emiliani agreed, but said state signs at weigh stations can serve the same purpose.
Hanics and Zikas cited heavy signage along the roadway as reasons why designating it a scenic byway seemed silly.
“All you see on one side is walls and then on the other, advertisements for businesses,” Hanics said.
Emiliani called these observations the “negatives” on the highway that can be remedied if I-78 were a scenic byway.
“The positives certainly outweigh the negatives for historic value,” she said.
Zikas said he saw no redeeming features in giving I-78 the special designation.
“Route 29 as a scenic byway? Certainly; it’s beautiful,” said Zikas, referring to the state road in Hunterdon County. “But I-78, with 18-wheelers all over the road? No, I’m sorry, I don’t see it.
“I’m looking at this realistically. It’s just not rolling hills anymore.”
Emiliani said she reached out to Alpha to pursue the designation with hopes for neighborly cooperation.
“You’re the only town that hasn’t bought into this,” she told council. “I didn’t anticipate it would be this difficult.”
Emilani said after the meeting the proposal to designate the interstate has gone before and been accepted by 16 other municipalities among Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.
Reporter Sarah Wojcik can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at swojcik@express-times.com.
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