NJDOT and Cherry Hill partner to beautify Route 70
Wildflowers being planted along highway median

(Cherry Hill) - New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner James Simpson today announced a cooperative effort with the Township of Cherry Hill to beautify sections of the Route 70 median in Cherry Hill with wildflower plantings.

The initiative advances the Christie Administration’s Clean Up NJ campaign to improve the appearance of New Jersey highways to benefit residents and attract and retain businesses to the Garden State.

“Neat and attractive roadways send a strong message to visitors and prospective business owners that New Jersey is a great place live, work and create jobs,” Simpson said. “We are delighted to team up with Cherry Hill to spruce up the important commercial corridor in a way that adds beauty, reduces demands on mowing crews and benefits the environment.”

“Route 70 carries more than 60,000 vehicles a day and runs adjacent to hundreds of businesses in Cherry Hill, so to a large degree this is our Township’s front porch,” said Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt. “This new initiative will deliver a fresh coat of paint to this tired roadway and present a much more aesthetically pleasing landscape for our overall community.”

Ten sections of the median will be planted with wildflower seeds within the next several weeks, covering a total area of three acres. Nine of the median sections to be planted are in Cherry Hill, with the easternmost section at the border of Cherry Hill in Evesham. The westernmost wildflower location will be near the intersection of Route 70 and Route 30.

The collaborative effort includes mowing by NJDOT crews and preparing the ground and seeding the soil by the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which has planted 30 acres along the Atlantic City Expressway with wildflowers this year.

Cherry Hill officials have played a leading role in coordinating the effort, including enlisting the support of a Cherry Hill civic organization to contribute the seeds and a Berlin landscaper who will volunteer time and equipment to water the wildflowers.