U.F. invited to be part of scenic byway project
Route would explore area's Revolutionary War history
BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD — Monmouth County Planning Board (MCPB) officials touted the benefits of scenic byways in a presentation at the Dec. 17 Township Committee meeting.

MCPB supervising planner Joe Barris and principal planner Zunilda Rodriguez discussed the county's Scenic Byway Expansion Initiative.

A scenic byway is a public street, road, highway or other route that has scenic, cultural, historic, national, architectural or recreational qualities with a unifying theme that tells a story about the state's heritage. Rodriguez said that a scenic byway has a "pristine visual state" that is natural with some man-made elements, such as woods along a winding road.

There are currently five New Jersey Scenic Byways, including the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway that extends into neighboring Allentown and Millstone. Upper Freehold's scenic byway designation was based on the agricultural history and equine farms of the area and Allentown's local history, according to Barris.

Barris said the county and state are now looking to tell the story of the Revolutionary War with an historical byway that passes through Upper Freehold to the Monmouth Battlefield site in Manalapan and through Freehold, Middletown and Sandy Hook. He said it is up to each municipality along the route to work with neighbors for a linear path to Sandy Hook along state, county and local roadways.

To earn a New Jersey Scenic Byway designation, a municipality must create a sponsor group to apply for the designation. The group may include members of local, state or federal government agencies, as well as members of the private sector and nonprofit and grassroots organizations. To earn the designation, the byway route must have a story and/or theme and the town must identify the intrinsic qualities of the byway.

The first step in applying for a scenic byway designation is to obtain sponsor applications, which are located on the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Web site under the heading of community programs. The sponsor then completes and submits the nomination package for the proposed byway to the NJDOT. The New Jersey Scenic Byway Advisory Committee reviews the application, and if accepted, recommends the approved designation to the NJDOT commissioner. The NJDOT reviews the nomination package for a final decision, and if approved, the byway receives provisional scenic byway designation from the NJDOT commissioner.

The second step is creating a corridor management plan (CMP), which is a guiding document for implementing a

scenic byway. The CMP includes actions, procedures, controls, operational practices and administrative strategies to maintain the intrinsic qualities of the scenic byway. The plan is developed by the sponsor and stakeholders, often with the assistance of a hired consultant. The county assists with mapping, brochures, and community byway workshops, according to Barris.

Barris said the Upper Freehold and Allentown scenic byway sponsors received a grant of $115,000 to develop a plan for their 24-mile route. The state will do its own vetting of any byway project, and once it finalizes the designation, a town may be eligible for federal funding, he said. Federal funding may include monies for land acquisition, markers and materials, he said.

Rodriguez said the benefits of a scenic byway include a positive economic impact on tourism, planning and preservation along byway routes, pride and reflection of community character, partnerships, and increased regional cooperation. Barris added that the county is trying to create a low-key travel experience for the public.