The New Jersey Turnpike Authority wants to build two truckstops along the turnpike, but residents aren’t happy.
A plan to build a stop that would accommodate more than 400 18-wheelers near Mount Laurel is on hold because of resident opposition, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The proposed truck stop in Burlington County would be between Exits 4 and 5. It would replace the James Fenimore Cooper Service Area on the northbound side of the turnpike and some vacant land on the southbound side. The service area currently provides parking space for 226 cars and 52 trucks. Cars would not be allowed at the proposed truck stop.
Local officials are worried about noise and pollution close to a densely populated area, and the possibility of fuel spills near a creek and municipal pumping station.
The project has been in the works for five years. Two years ago, after meeting with Mount Laurel officials, the authority cut down on the size of the planned facility, from nearly 700 parking spots to 415. But the issue raised its head again last month after a hearing on sound barriers to be erected near the James Fenimore Cooper Service Area. Township officials learned after the hearing that the truckstop project was not dead.
Fred Kirschner, owner of the Bordentown Junction Petro just a few miles north, is puzzled by the turnpike’s plan, according to the paper. The large truckstop off Exit 7 services about 50,000 trucks a month, with its 453 parking spaces and numerous services for truckers. Kirschner told the paper that truckers often switch from the turnpike to Interstate 295 at the exit.
A second truckstop is proposed for Bergen County and would accommodate more than 200 trucks at a time. It has not met with the same kind of opposition as the Mount Laurel location.
A plan to build a stop that would accommodate more than 400 18-wheelers near Mount Laurel is on hold because of resident opposition, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The proposed truck stop in Burlington County would be between Exits 4 and 5. It would replace the James Fenimore Cooper Service Area on the northbound side of the turnpike and some vacant land on the southbound side. The service area currently provides parking space for 226 cars and 52 trucks. Cars would not be allowed at the proposed truck stop.
Local officials are worried about noise and pollution close to a densely populated area, and the possibility of fuel spills near a creek and municipal pumping station.
The project has been in the works for five years. Two years ago, after meeting with Mount Laurel officials, the authority cut down on the size of the planned facility, from nearly 700 parking spots to 415. But the issue raised its head again last month after a hearing on sound barriers to be erected near the James Fenimore Cooper Service Area. Township officials learned after the hearing that the truckstop project was not dead.
Fred Kirschner, owner of the Bordentown Junction Petro just a few miles north, is puzzled by the turnpike’s plan, according to the paper. The large truckstop off Exit 7 services about 50,000 trucks a month, with its 453 parking spaces and numerous services for truckers. Kirschner told the paper that truckers often switch from the turnpike to Interstate 295 at the exit.
A second truckstop is proposed for Bergen County and would accommodate more than 200 trucks at a time. It has not met with the same kind of opposition as the Mount Laurel location.
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