For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
The NJ Department of Transportation will be holding a virtual public forum to discuss the I-295 retaining wall that collapsed in Bellmawr in March. The meeting will be held via Zoom on April 7 at 6:00 pm. The retaining wall that collapsed is part of the $800 million Direct Connection project being completed by South State General Contractors on behalf of the NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT).
“The DOT, the Department of Traffic, strikes again. This was a badly designed project from the start. It was supposed to be done in 2028 and now it will end up taking even longer. This just goes to show what happens when we invest in unnecessary highway widenings instead of real transportation solutions. They tore down historic properties like the Hugg-Harrison-Glover House as well as paving over wetlands and environmentally-sensitive land,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This unnecessary project has been going on for years and years. They wasted $800 million on it, but they can’t even build a retaining wall correctly. This money would have been better spent expanding and improving mass transit.”
There has been debate over construction of the interchange of 295/42/76 for over 30 years. The project started moving forward in 2013 when the NJDOT began hosting public information sessions on the topic. Over the years, the project has included tearing down the Hugg-Harrison-Glover House, which was originally built in 1720.
“We need to stop this project and move forward with real transportation solutions. What happened with the retaining wall should be a wake up call to the state to stop moving forward with the $16 billion in highway widening projects for the NJ Turnpike and GS Parkway. This money would be better spent building and electrifying the South Jersey Light Rail Line, bringing back train service to Atlantic City, and buying electric buses for Camden,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “If New Jersey really cared about commuters and keeping people safe, they would focus spending on mass transit and bridge repairs - not highway widenings.”