I-78 Scenic Byway Proposal

Effort to name Interstate 78 through Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties as a scenic byway goes through TrentonFriday, January 09, 2009

By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times

A proposal to grant scenic byway status to a 24-mile stretch of Interstate 78 passing through Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties now sits in the hands of Trenton officials.

About a dozen municipalities recently submitted an application to designate that portion of the highway as a state scenic byway. The designation is meant to boost tourism and economic development, as well as attract federal dollars for road improvements and assistance to neighboring municipalities, officials said.

“Ultimately, in this day and age, it’s a win-win for everybody,” Lebanon Borough Mayor Mark Paradis said. “Any community would benefit from additional marketing.”

The state’s scenic byway coordinator is expected to offer comments and concerns about the application within the next two weeks, said Tim Greeley, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. A final decision would follow, he said.

Scenic byway applications are evaluated based on six intrinsic qualities, including recreational opportunities and historic and cultural features, Greeley said. If approved, the towns would have five years to finish a corridor-management plan.

New Jersey has five scenic byways.

“The idea is that a scenic byway can almost become a destination in itself,” Greeley said. “It can be quite a value to the communities these byways go through.”

The Interstate 78 scenic byway would stretch from Bedminster Township in Somerset County and end in Pohatcong Township at the Alpha border. More municipalities can join the effort down the road, Paradis said.

Alpha officials rejected the proposal, saying it could lead to removing digital billboards and that the designation seemed inappropriate for the busy highway.

Phillipsburg did not endorse the idea either after some town council members expressed concerns that the designation would inhibit putting up a billboard near its portion of the highway, town Council President David DeGerolamo said.

Supporters of the scenic byway designation have stressed that Interstate 78 is more than just tractor-trailers hitting the pavement; it’s a link to the economic history of New Jersey and the United States.

Originally an Indian path, the public road was used by European immigrants settling in the area before it became the New Jersey Turnpike. Interstate 78 parallels the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley Railroad lines over Musconetcong Mountain, also known as New Jersey’s continental divide.

“There’s just some incredible vistas,” said Carl Hintz, a municipal planner who worked on the application. “If you ignore the trucks for a moment, it’s quite a nice drive.”

Reporter Bill Wichert can be reached at 610-258-7171, ext. 3570, or by e-mail at bwichert@express-times.com.