Truck Traffic To Be Probed At Bridgewater Warehouse Hearing

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Noting several traffic concerns, Somerville Mayor Dennis Sullivan is urging residents to attend Bridgewater's public hearing on an application to demolish four office buildings at the Center Pointe Office Building for a "significant" multi-warehouse development.

While Somerville passed an ordinance in July banning trucks weighing over four tons from Gaston Avenue from Route 28 to Route 22 and on nearby side streets (including Grove, Gaston, North Bridge and Davenport streets) from Main Street to Route 22, warehouse-affiliated trucks may have to use the county’s Main Street or banned side streets to travel to and from the proposed warehouse site, Sullivan said during a Jan. 17 borough council meeting.

"We’ve taken some steps at this table to restrict truck traffic on the north-south streets that connect Route 22 with our main street. It’s still a mystery to me … as to how trucks will access that side coming from the Newark area, which is where the main port is," Sullivan said. "It's going to be interesting how they propose to get trucks on eastbound Route 22, without going on Gaston Avenue, without going up Bridge Street."

Somerville officials are set to be present at the public hearing on Jan. 31 before Bridgewater’s Zoning Board of Adjustment, though Sullivan also invited residents to voice their opinions at the public meeting.

The adjustment applicant, Signature Acquisitions, LLC, is going through Bridgewater zoning officials as the applicant is seeking several variances for warehouse use, Sullivan said. You can view the application documents here.

The application currently calls for two warehouse buildings, one with a net floor area of 142,000 square feet and one with a net floor area of 138,000 square feet. Two driveways are proposed along Route 22, and one driveway is proposed along Jackson Street. A total of 284 parking spaces are proposed.

Warehouse tenancy has yet to be determined, Sullivan added.

While a traffic study published in May concludes that "the proposed development would not have a significant impact on the traffic operations of the adjacent roadway network and would generate significantly less trips as compared with the existing office use," Sullivan remained curious about future truck routes given the weight ban on some roads.

"It’s going to be interesting to hear from the applicant what this traffic study shows," Sullivan said. "We’ve taken preliminary steps, but we have no jurisdiction over Route 28, which encompasses Union Avenue right in front of … the hospital, right in front of the daycare center, right in front of the medical offices, and there’s no way we can restrict truck traffic on that section."

The Bridgewater meeting will be held at the Bridgewater Municipal Building (100 Commons Way, Bridgewater) on Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m.

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— With reporting by Alexis Tarrazi.