Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CELESTE M. RILEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
Assemblyman ADAM J. TALIAFERRO
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOT to include certain tourist-oriented facilities in New Jersey Delaware Bayshore in Tourist Oriented Directional Sign Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the New Jersey Delaware Bayshore and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore, which stretches along the southwestern coast of the State in Cape May and Cumberland counties, contains salt marshes, woodlands, beaches, dunes, and many tidal rivers and is recognized for its wetlands and diverse wildlife, including more than 300 bird species.
b. New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore is also home to a wide variety of recreational activities, including the A.J. Meerwald and the Delaware Bay Museum. The A.J. Meerwald, designated as New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship by Governor Whitman in 1998, was originally launched in 1928 as an oyster schooner but today is on the National Register of Historic Places and offers public sails, charters, family and youth camps, and educational sails throughout the area and along the Atlantic Coast. The Delaware Bay Museum & Folklife Center allows visitors to explore the oyster industry with original artifacts and interactive activities for children and adults.
c. New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore is a vital and important part of this State and residents of New Jersey should be aware of the natural and recreational activities available in New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore.
d. The State would benefit if the Department of Transportation included certain tourist-oriented facilities located in New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore in the department’s Tourist Oriented Directional Sign Program, which provides for signs to be placed on certain roadways in this State identifying facilities that may interest tourists and providing directions to them.
2. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the Department of Transportation shall include certain tourist-oriented facilities located in New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore in the department’s Tourist Oriented Directional Sign Program. These facilities shall include, but need not be limited to, the A.J. Meerwald and the Delaware Bay Museum & Folklife Center.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Transportation (department) to include certain tourist-oriented facilities located in New Jersey’s
Delaware Bayshore in the department’s Tourist Oriented Directional Sign Program (TODS). These facilities are to include, but need not be limited to, the A.J. Meerwald and the Delaware Bay Museum & Folklife Center. The TODS program provides for signs to be placed on certain roadways in the State identifying places that may interest tourists and providing directions to those places.
New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore stretches along the southwestern coast of the State in Cape May and Cumberland counties. New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore contains salt marshes, woodlands, beaches, dunes, and many tidal rivers and is recognized for its wetlands and diverse wildlife, including more than 300 bird species. In addition, the New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore is home to a wide variety of recreational activities, including the A.J. Meerwald and the Delaware Bay Museum. The A.J. Meerwald, designated as New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship by Governor Whitman in 1998, was originally launched in 1928 as an oyster schooner but today is on the National Register of Historic Places and offers public sails, camps, and educational sails. The Delaware Bay Museum & Folklife Center allows visitors to explore the oyster industry with original artifacts and interactive activities for children and adults.