Politics & Government

Ask Your Freeholders: Improvements on Route 130

Our weekly Q&A with county freeholders.

Got a problem and need an answer from Camden County government? We’ve got your solution. 

Ask Your Freeholder is a new weekly feature from Haddonfield Patch in which you get to ask questions and get them answered here every week by the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Camden County—the county's highest body of elected officials.

Just send your questions to bill.duhart@patch.com or ask it in our comment box below the story and we’ll take the first three every week and get one of the seven freeholders to personally answer your question for this column.

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Here's this week's question:

From Collingswood Patch:

Find out what's happening in Haddonfield-Haddon Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The county has proposed to purchase a few parcels of land near the Route 130 circle, where construction is currently underway.

It's said that the sale of this land will facilitate a NJDEP program, so that Route 130 can benefit from road widening and improvements to drainage systems.  The proposed purchase is said to extend from the former Collingswood Circle to North Park Drive. My questions are:

1. Has the county purchased any land in this area or are there any purchases being considered?

2. What's the time frame in which these improvements will be made, once land is purchased?

3. Will these parcels be developed and how long would potential delays extend traffic volume in the area?

Answer from Freeholder Jeffrey L. Nash, Freeholder Board liaison to the Parks Department:

The county hasn’t purchased any land. The county has agreed to sell several parcels of parkland to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for $497,850. The sale incorporates portions of lots in Pennsauken Township, Collingswood Borough and Camden City that make up Cooper River Park. The land sale will help facilitate an NJDEP program which includes roadway widening and drainage improvements to Route 130 from the former Collingswood Circle to North Park Drive. Route 130 is a state road. The land that was sold to them is land the state needs in order to widen the road.

This is a state project, not a county project. The county sold the land to the state for its project, which could take a year or more. The state DOT and DEP would be your best sources for a definite time frame, and for whatever traffic delays the state anticipates during the project.

The good news for the county and our residents is that the sale of this land will provide an additional source of revenue in this year’s budget. Also, the state has assured the county that nothing will be permanently affected at the park. No statues or memorials will be disturbed at the park. That assurance was very important to us, because we know how much residents love and enjoy all the amenities at Cooper River Park.

During construction, the state will temporarily reroute the walking/jogging path in the vicinity of Route 130. A temporary bridge will be created to allow uninterrupted access to the path for joggers and other pedestrians.

 For those interested in the detail, the land parcels to be used for the project are:

  • Portions of Lot 1, Block 6404 in Pennsauken Township—7899 square feet (includes drainage and temporary use easements). Sale price: $103,825.
  • Portions of Lot 2.01, Block 1279 in Camden City and portions of Lot 1, Block 6405 in Pennsauken Township -- .215 acres. Sale price: $386,800.
  • Portions of Lot 1, Block 1.01 in Collingswood and portions of Lot 2.01, Block 1279 in Camden City – 2 acres (with drainage and temporary use and site triangle easement), and portions of Lot 1, Block 6406, Pennsauken Township – 778 square feet. Sale price: $7,225. Sale price: $7,225.


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