Section of University Place Re-Closed To Adjust Height of Elevated Crossing
An elevated crossing installed at the wrong height is the culprit in the recent re-closing of a section of University Place, from College Road to Alexander Street. Work began last Saturday and is expected to continue all through August, making the road inaccessible to traffic.
The crossing between McCarter Theatre on one side and the former Dinky station on the other was built as part of Princeton University’s $330 million Arts & Transit project, and motorists had to detour across College Road during the process. The construction flaw was detected when the road was reopened last month.
“After the construction was completed, the University’s project team along with Turner Construction and the town’s municipal engineers realized that the crossing was installed at the incorrect elevation,” said Kristin Appelget, the University’s Director of Community and Regional Affairs. “It was determined, in coordination with that group, that the appropriate course of action was to remove and rebuild.”
The University has decided to act quickly to repair the problem. Workers will be on 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, until the project is completed. “It will be the same closure there was in June,” Ms. Appelget said. “The Wawa will be accessible from the roundabout. There will still be parking available along the side of McCarter. Tiger Transit and Tiger Paw buses will stop on College Road where they have been stopping, and the traffic light will continue to operate.”
Pedestrian and bike paths will also be shifted during the construction. Cyclists and walkers are advised to follow posted signage while the repairs are made.
Asked about the inconvenience for drivers, Ms. Appelget said, “Any road closure is an inconvenience to someone, and we realize that. But the installation of the temporary traffic signal at the intersection of College Road and Alexander Street helped tremendously before. We see backups there irregardless of construction.”
For questions, call (609) 258-8023 or visit www.princeton.edu/artsandtransit.