Mayor: Rep. Says Bypass Funds Should Be Used

An is still set aside from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and should be used to make Schooley’s Mountain Road better,

Washington Township Mayor Ken Short, along with nearly two dozen other mayors, met with Frelinghuysen this week in a group setting to discuss a variety of topics going on in New Jersey's 11th District, Frelinghuysen's jurisdiction. 

Short said he met with Frelinghuysen prior to the group meeting, and the two spoke about the current , also known as the Schooley’s Mountain Road Bypass. Schooley’s Mountain Road is a county road, and all repairs are made by the county.

The $720,000 will end up “going away,” according to Frelinghuysen, if it’s not used for its intended purpose.

Short met with Morris County Freeholder Director Bill Chegwidden in March after requesting $150,000 for land acquisition for the bypass project. .

The earmarked amount, originally $800,000, with the difference being used for analysis and land acquisition, could end up being allocated to buffer budgets or put toward other road projects if not used in a certain amount of time, Short said.

That timetable, as of now, is still unknown, Short said.

Short said Frelinghuysen’s camp was told the project could cost upwards of $20 million when all was said and done.

“We have this money sitting here,” Short said. “And we really should use it. and, at this point, I just want the road to be safe for drivers.”

Ongoing county involvement

Freeholders and Tom Mastrangelo spoke with Short, he said, and asked if they could take a tour of Washington Township to learn more about the municipality.

Short said he’ll show them the area, in addition to Schooley’s Mountain Road, to help them understand the purpose of the Safety Project better.

“I just hope we can keep the conversation on the table,” Short said.

The mayor also reflected on the swearing in of former freeholder director Frank Druetzler, also the mayor of Morris Plains, who vowed to make the Safety Project one of his top priorities while in office.

“(The bypass) has been on the books for a long time,” Short said. “There’s been back and forth for years, and I think it’s time to do something.”

Short said he’ll be attending a freeholder meeting this month to address the issue as well.

Calls to Congressman Frelinghuysen were not immediately returned.