South Bruns. wants trucks to hit the road Opposes new state regulations that allow big rigs to use Route 27 BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer JEFF GRANIT staff A car waits to turn onto Heathcote Road as a truck drives through the intersection with Route 27 in Kingston. Larger trucks are going to be allowed on the road due to a new set of state trucking regulations, which officials in South Brunswick and other municipalities oppose. South Brunswick officials are planning to fight to get Route 27 exempted from a new set of truck regulations they fear would exacerbate traffic in the area, and hope to enlist some neighbors in their cause. The new state regulations establish a hierarchy of roads consisting of federal interstates at the top, state highways in the middle and local roads at the bottom. According to the state Department of Transportation's (DOT) proposal, large trucks would be required to drive only on federal roads unless the shortest distance between two points is through the use of a road on the state network. Large trucks on the state network must leave as soon as possible. Meanwhile, large trucks on the state network may only drive on local roads if the shortest distance between itself and its destination involves the local road, and the driver is expected to leave as soon as possible. South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese has expressed skepticism that trucks would follow the hierarchy, especially after they're given explicit permission to drive on local and state roads. This is on top of a general objection to the idea that large trucks would be able to drive safely on Route 27. After a public comment period ending in early February, the state DOT has thrown its full weight behind the new regulations. Route 27 is an area of concern for South Brunswick in particular because it has both residential developments, which might not appreciate large trucks passing through, and the protected historic district of Kingston. The road itself is also viewed by township officials as too narrow to support heavy truck traffic. Other communities that share Route 27 have also expressed dismay at the new regulations that target this road. Resolutions against the new regulations as they pertain to this area have been passed in Franklin and Princeton as well as South Brunswick. However, Councilman Joe Camarota said that while the resolutions were definitely a good idea, it would take more than mere admonishment to get the exception the township desires. "Even though Commissioner [Kris] Kolluri has said, 'Go ahead, pass all the resolutions you want, we're not going to listen,' it did open the door a little way toward this exemption, and that's what we're trying to do here," Camarota said at the council's March 6 workshop meeting. South Brunswick police, at the request of the township, conducted a traffic study of the Route 27 area and confirmed the belief that the new regulations would have an adverse effect on traffic there. Officer Mike Rogers, representing the Traffic Safety Bureau, presented his findings during the March 6 meeting. "Whatever problems are there will be exacerbated by more truck traffic. ... This is self-evident," said Rogers. Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz, who was selected to spearhead the effort, said that after conversations with the township's in-house engineering firm, CME, he believed that a study might be able to demonstrate to the state how the new regulations will have deleterious effects. "As I understand it, the idea that we have more trucks on Route 27 is crazy. ... It's already a problem spot. Are we going to take this information to the state and say, hey, we can't do what you want us to do?" asked Councilman Chris Killmurray, to which Schmalz replied, "Correct." The cost of such a study, according to Schmalz, would be between $30,000 and $40,000, and with this in mind, it was suggested that the township contact the other Route 27 municipalities and determine if they would be willing to share some of the costs. Gambatese said that officials in neighboring Franklin, where Route 27 forms the border between the two towns, has already expressed an interest in helping. "Franklin has agreed to participate in sharing, at least with us, any costs we would incur, so that has been relayed to me, that they are very much concerned with this traffic also ... if they're willing to do this, and if we can get North Brunswick, I think that's the way to go. I don't think we should wait too long, because I want to know where we are," said Gambatese. North Brunswick Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack could not be reached for comment for this story. Deputy Mayor Carol Barrett brought up comparisons between the struggle to get Route 27 exempted from the new regulations and the long-running battle against Route 92, a controversial toll road plan that was canceled in late 2006. She said that South Brunswick should not shy away from the prospect of a struggle and that the township has won such battles in the past. "We're ready to fight with everything we have against this. In the past, people have said we couldn't win and you can't fight city hall, but we have proven that we can fight and that we can win. I urge all of us that we go into this fight with the thought not that we're going to lose, but that we can win, and that we're going to change their minds and show them that they're wrong. We have the facts and figures, and I guess we can get rowdy, because we have in the past," said Barrett.