The state Senate on Monday unanimously approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, to name an interchange of Route 42 after a naval officer whose death led to the creation of a local designated-driver program.
The interchange between Route 42 and Interstate 295 will be known as the Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange, according to a news release from Senate Republicans.
“Ensign Elliot exemplified true leadership and served this country with honor and distinction,” Polistina said. “In recognition of his service, this bill would formally commemorate his legacy by naming this newly built interchange as the Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange.”
Elliott was killed by a drunken driver in Salem County on July 22, 2000, two months after he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
People are also reading…
The new connection between 42 and 295 is expected to improve traffic conditions on local routes and will provide a more direct route for travelers, the release states.
“Our family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to Senator Polistina for sponsoring this bill,” said Bill Elliott, CEO of the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers. “The Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange will represent more than a convenient new gateway to the Jersey Shore. It also will save lives, and would have saved our son’s if it had been available the night he was killed by a drunken driver while traveling home for his mother’s birthday on an undivided highway in July 2000.”