We're as concerned as the next newspaper about checking facts. If the public needs to know, by thunder, we shan't waste a moment getting to the bottom of things. Wrong way to parkway
At issue is the Garden State Parkway sign on the corner of Bingham and Griffith streets. Beneath it are additional signs, an arrow pointing vaguely east, and one that notes it's 6,010 miles to the parkway, which is a lovely stretch of highway running 173 miles along the Garden State, New Jersey.
Is it really that far? It certainly seems so if the airline movie is "Up Close and Personal."
Depends on your route. We stretched a direct line over the crusty office globe and get a bit more than 5,000 miles. Using an Internet travel-map utility, we get 5,096 miles between Honolulu and Trenton, New Jersey's capitol.
Who's responsible for this excessive mileage? The City Department of Transportation Services, the State Department of Transportation and the owner of the property where the sign stands all went "Hah?" when asked.
Bingham is technically under state jurisdiction because it's an off-ramp from H-1. It's not legal to post signs that don't have anything to do with highway operations, said Ross Smith of DOT. It's possible -- gasp! -- that this is a prank.
It's a real Garden State Parkway sign though. "Our signs get stolen all the time," said Dotty Parker of the New Jersey Highway Authority. "Check out who's moved to Honolulu from New Jersey recently and brought a piece of it with them."
By Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin