February 27, 2013

“No Dearth of Ideas” on DOT’s Route 1 Concept

A concept plan being floated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to ease traffic congestion on Route 1 has residents from both sides of the highway eager to comment on its possibilities. “There is no dearth of ideas,” Anton Lahnston, chair of a committee exploring the plan, told Princeton Council on Monday night following a day of meetings with citizens of West Windsor in the morning, and Princeton in the evening, before the Council session.

“I’ve got about 40 or 41 points at this juncture,” Mr. Lahnston said. “If you live in Princeton, it’s one thing. If you live in West Windsor, it’s another.”

But the idea is to bring these communities together, along with Plainsboro and the University Medical Center of Princeton, to come up with a response to the plan, Mr. Lahnston and others involved in the meetings agree. Mayor Liz Lempert stressed at the Council session that the governing body will confer with West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh before preparing a response to the plan.

The concept was introduced early this month by the DOT, asking for feedback from Princeton, West Windsor, and Plainsboro before a decision is made on whether to proceed. There is no money for the project now, and it could cost up to $40 million.

The plan would involve widening the highway to four lanes in each direction between Harrison Street and Washington Road, eliminating the jughandles at both intersections, adding a traffic light and two jughandles for U-turns about halfway between the two roads, adding a new, circle-shaped jughandle at Washington Road at the now vacant site of a former Exxon gas station to allow drivers going south on Route 1 to cut across onto Route 571, and eliminating the light at Fisher Place. Motorists traveling north on the highway would take the new jughandle, travel south, and then turn right on -Washington Road in order to get into Princeton.

An overflow crowd packed a room at Princeton’s municipal building for a meeting of the Traffic and Transportation committee on Monday. Several of those in attendance stayed on to reiterate their concerns at the Council meeting, where Mr. Lahnston, who chairs the committee, delivered a report.

A DOT trial that closed the jughandles last August was scrapped earlier than originally planned after vociferous citizen protests. Residents attending the Monday meeting called that effort a waste of money, and some had their own ideas about how to help traffic flow better on Route 1. Eric Payne, a resident of West Windsor and a member of a citizens group called Smart Traffic Solutions, said there were four accidents in front of his house during the jughandle trial last year.

Mr. Payne has come up with his own plan for the highway. He said that an environmental impact study done in 2003 specifically recommended not to do what the concept plan suggests. “Let’s bite the bullet and get the problem fixed with an overpass, or if that isn’t possible, then by creating other access roads,” he said, adding that lights should be removed from Route 1, not added. “My plan eliminates all but one light, or at least gets it down to two.”

Josh Wilton, a real estate agent who works at Nassau and Harrison streets, recalled watching the surge in clogged traffic at that intersection from his window during the last DOT trial. He urged the committee to remember that Route 27 traffic is affected by Route 1. “Take into account that on a good day, it’s bad,” he said. During the last trial, it was “abysmal.”

At the Council session, member Jenny Crumiller asked why the DOT has not provided data on the traffic situation, specifically the recent trial that closed the jughandles last summer. Princeton engineer Bob Kiser said he thought data would be generated by the DOT if the communities express interest in developing the concept plan.

Councilman Patrick Simon commented that the traffic congestion improved on Route 1 during the trial last summer, but traffic getting on or off the highway and crossing the road was made worse.

In delivering his report about the earlier meeting, Mr. Lahnston said that people in Princeton and West Windsor have concerns about Route 1 traffic that go back decades. “We need more information from the DOT. We need to see traffic data,” he said. “We also need to put together a response to them saying yes, we want a seat at the table, but we need to partner with West Windsor and Princeton University and have everyone involved.”

Another public meeting on the issue will be held in West Windsor tonight at 7 p.m., at 271 Clarksville Road. Visit www.westwindsornj.org for more information.

February 20, 2013

DOT Presents Concept to Ease Route 1 Congestion

When Princeton Council’s Traffic and Transportation Committee meets next Monday to discuss the latest concept that the New Jersey Department of Transportation has released regarding traffic woes on Route 1, one issue is certain to take priority: Making it easier to get into town.

“We would like to see reasonable access to Princeton from the three major roadways С Washington Road, Harrison Street, and Alexander Road,” says Anton Lahnston, who chairs the committee. “So we would hope that any reconfiguration would allow the community to be served in that way.”

The committee’s meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 5:30 on February 25, preceding the Council’s 7 p.m. meeting at the Municipal building. On hand will be representatives from Princeton’s engineering and police departments, as well as a liaison from Princeton University.

The DOT released its concept early this month at a meeting attended by Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, who asked Mr. Lahnston to consider the proposal at a Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting. The concept comes several months after a failed experiment last summer to reconfigure traffic on Route 1, which involved closing the jughandles at Washington Road and Harrison Street. The trial was discontinued after residents of the Penns Neck section across Route 1 complained about a heavy influx of traffic, and commuters entering their neighborhood to make turns and avoid traffic delays.

Among the ideas being floated by the DOT are widening Route 1 to four lanes in both directions, eliminating the jughandles at Washington Road and Harrison Street, eliminating the jughandle and traffic light at Fisher Place, building new jughandles on both sides of Route 1 about halfway between Washington Road and Harrison Street, and constructing a partial traffic circle and light at Route 1 and Washington Road. That would allow motorists going south to turn left onto Route 571 toward the Princeton Junction railroad station.

Joseph Dee, spokesman for the DOT, stressed last week that the concept being considered is just that: a concept.

“When the commissioner pulled the plug on the pilot program last year, he made a commitment to continue to work with the communities to find a solution to chronic congestion along this corridor,” he said. “This proposal, which is just a concept that we shared with local officials, was an effort to focus discussions on an idea that we put together as a way to help alleviate congestion. The point was to say, take a look, let us talk you through it, then take it back to your residents and see what the sense is.”

As proposed, the improvements would cost roughly $35 million and handle anticipated traffic volumes for 20 years, Mr. Dee added. “This is a starting point for a conversation. We’ll see what the feedback is from Princeton, West Windsor, and Plainsboro, as well as from Princeton University and the hospital,” he said. “We’ll see if they like it or dislike it, or maybe have some good suggestions. It is not a plan or a project being designed, funded, or in engineering.”

Mr. Lahnston said he hopes the Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting will result in a report of some sort for Council. “My sense is that we’re probably going to come back to the Council with not so much an opinion on ‘yes or no, we support this,’ but as we see the advantages and disadvantages,” he said. “We’ve been closely involved in all of this over the past year, and we have the jughandle trial fresh in our minds. We’re relying heavily on our engineers to give us advice.”

One idea proposed in the past has been to build an overpass, but that is prohibitively expensive. “There is a big concern about the expense of this whole thing,” Mr. Lahnston said. “This concept seems to be something the state could afford, and that is an important factor.”

October 10, 2012

Motorists Respond To Township Survey On Route 1 Issues

An interactive survey on the Township’s website, proposed by Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert and the Princeton Township Traffic Safety Committee, has enabled Township officials to collect recent statistics and details of commuters’ experiences on Route 1 that appear to have resulted from the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (DOT) pilot project. The trial, which restricts left turns and U-turns on Route 1 at Washington Road and Harrison Street in West Windsor, began on Saturday, August 4, and was scheduled to last for 12 weeks.

While DOT officials cite reports of improved traffic flow on Route 1, the Township survey gives respondents the opportunity to get down to specifics. The fact that “Faculty Road is much more backed up at Washington Road, Hartley, and Harrison,” has been noted, as have dangers associated with using the DOT’s suggested alternate route on Scudder’s Mill Road.

“The trial is causing significant hardship for commuters into Princeton,” said Ms. Lempert, who is also the Democratic candidate for mayor of Princeton. “The Township has received 55 comments regarding the closures on Route 1 in the time period between September 19 and October 3.” Results of the Township’s survey will be reviewed by the engineering department.

Motorists participating in the survey complain about “illegal U-turns”; “wasting gas and emitting exhaust”; and “doubled and tripped commute times.” Multiple messages confirmed common problems like “Alexander is a parking lot,” and “traffic can be backed up on Alexander all the way to the exit from Route 1.”

The Township survey gives respondents an opportunity to include details on weather conditions; time spent traveling between locations; roadways traveled; and locations. Motorists are also asked how long the same trip took “pre-closure travel time,” in order to provide a basis for comparison.

Users of public transit are also experiencing the effects of the Route 1 limitations. Crossing Route 1 is “seriously impacting Princeton’s attractiveness as a place to live for those who rely on Princeton Junction train station,” said one report. The “DOT has created a public health hazard,” was another, along with “Alexander bridge was not made to accommodate this traffic volume; it is too narrow.”

“A trip from Canal Pointe to Princeton can now take 39 minutes,” complained a motorist. Others take note of the fact that people are “using the gas station on the corner of Route 1 and Harrison Street as a jughandle to turn around and go north on Route 1.”

“We are pressing the DOT to take a holistic approach to their data collection by factoring in the traffic impacts on secondary roads and related safety concerns,” said Ms. Lempert.


September 19, 2012

DOT: Narrow Bridge Not a Problem

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) has no immediate plans to replace the Alexander Road bridge, despite recent attention to its shortcomings.

Officials note that as a result of the current DOT “pilot project”Кthat is restricting left turns and U-turns on Route 1 at Washington Road and Harrison Street in West Windsor, more motorists are using the bridge.К

In addition to weathering heavier traffic, the bridge, which is only 20 feet wide, cannot accommodate two large vehicles moving in opposite directions at the same time.К This becomes of particular concern when emergency vehicles, like ambulances and fire trucks, need to pass each other.КК The bridge’s weight-bearing capacity of 15 tons also poses significant limitations to the number and kinds of vehicles it can support at one time.

“That narrow bridge has been there a very long time,” said DOT spokesman Joe Dee on Tuesday. He suggested that area officials are “raising the issue in the context of this trial.  Traffic is flowing very nicely on Route 1 as a result of these changes.

“Let’s continue to gather data,” he suggested. “This is still fairly new for a lot of people who were on vacation in August when this trial started.” More time, he said, will also allow motorists to become aware of alternatives to Alexander Road.   “Motorists act out of self-interest, and if Alexander becomes inconvenient because of traffic volume, they will seek alternatives.”

The current Route 1 trial was created by the DOT in response to aКstudy along Route 1 indicating, they say, that the existing space for left/U-turns at Washington Road and the left/U-turns at the Harrison Street jug handle is inadequate to accommodate this traffic, resulting in traffic backing up onto Route 1 and impacting traffic operations along mainline Route 1.К The trial began on August 4 and was scheduled to continue for 12 weeks.

At a recent Township Committee meeting, engineer Bob Kiser reported that the need to replace the Alexander Road Bridge was recognized and reported to the county “two or three years and ago.”  In a preliminary survey done in response to the request, Mercer County engineer Gregory Sandusky reported that the right of way at the bridge is only 36 feet wide; 50 to 60 feet would be needed to replace the bridge.  Acquiring the additional land on either side of the current bridge will be difficult from a procedural point of view because the properties involved are designated “green” and “historic”  districts.  Obtaining State House approval, Mr. Kiser said, is “quite a process.” In the meantime, he reported, Mr Sandusky suggested going with plans for replacing bridge with the possibility that the municipality might acquire the right of way.

If NJDOT opts to finalize the trial arrangement, said Mr. Kiser, there will be more traffic going over bridge.  The combination of eventually closing it in order to replace it, and maintaining the current limitations would be”setting ourselves up for a real situation,” he said.

Township Mayor Chad Goerner pointed out that the Alexander Road bridge was “meant to be temporary” when it was originally installed.  In the past, the county defended the safety of the bridge by pointing to the fact that buses and other large vehicles have to stop to make sure there are no vehicles coming in the opposite direction.

At its meeting last week, Township Committee indicated that, if the trial is felt to be successful,  they would ask the state to delay making the left turn bans on Route 1 permanent, until the Alexander Road bridge is replaced.  They are hoping that the Borough, Princeton University, and other parties will support this recommendation in a cosigned letter.

“The University would be very inclined to join you,” said  Princeton University spokesperson Kristen Appleget, who was present at the meeting. “We continue to join you in expressing concerns about the trials,” noting that the University is “taking in a lot of our own data.”

The municipalities will collect additional data, as well, said Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert, and she  encouraged area motorists to use municipal websites to report trip times and bad commutes.   “I don’t think the counters will be out there every day,” she said, referring to NJ DOT monitors.

“An  inconvenience by having  traffic back up is one factor,” observed Committeeman Bernie Miller.  “Creating a situation that could put lives or property at risk is another.  We need to make it clear to the DOT that we have a situation where an emergency vehicle could conceivably not get across the bridge, an unacceptable situation to both University and Princeton community.”


August 29, 2012

DOT Responds to Route 1 Issues

While acknowledging that there have been some unhappy voices responding to the restriction of left turns on U.S. Route 1 at Washington Road and Harrison Street, the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) believes that their pilot program is going reasonably well.

“There’s been a number of comments from people, but I have to say, in general, that the trial got off to a fairly smooth start,” said spokesman Joe Dee. “There have been some concerns raised by residents, and we’re seeking to address them” (see Mailbox on page 9).

Representatives of the Princeton Medical Center at Plainsboro and the emergency medical technicians (EMTS) who drive ambulances there were among the complainants, Mr. Dee reported. While ambulances have the ability to change a red light to a green one in order to get across Route 1, the process is not instantaneous. When Harrison Street is heavily trafficked, EMTS drivers may shift into what is an oncoming lane of traffic for southbound motorists turning right off Route 1 who cannot see them. Mr. Dee said that the DOT hoped to address the situation by “cutting some vegetation” to improve the sightline for motorists, and installing a new sign that will alert southbound traffic that an ambulance driver has activated control of the signal, and right turns on a red light are prohibited.

Another “one of the larger issues” that has become apparent is motorists’  practice of making U-turns and K-turns in nearby residential driveways and streets as a way of coping with the changes. Mr. Dee said that the DOT is “looking into a way to enforce no K-turns and no U-turns “to help provide some relief to those residents.” The DOT is also aware of nearby gas station owners’ concerns, he said.

Both Mr. Dee and Township Engineer Robert Kiser agreed that a real test of the changes will come as students return to school and vacationers come home during the coming weeks. “The last two weeks of August have the lightest traffic,” said Mr. Kiser. “We’re interested to see how the test works in September.”

Mr. Kiser and Mr. Dee also agreed that the recent closing of Quaker Road for repairs is not significant in assessing the Route 1 pilot, and that, on the whole, traffic has been light. “We’ve seen good traffic flow on Route 1 and we’ve seen good traffic flow coming south off the Scudders Mill interchange,” commented Mr. Dee. “The only thing that I’ve been hearing is that the traffic is light,” concurred Mr. Kiser.

“It’s still a learning curve,” observed Mr. Dee. “We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed.”


June 27, 2012

Route 1 Jughandle Trial Set to Begin in August And Last for 12 Weeks

The Route 1 jughandle trial postponed from last March is scheduled to begin on August 6, it was confirmed this week. James Simpson, State Department of Transportation Commissioner, said at a meeting of the Central Jersey Transportation Forum on Monday that the project, an experiment that will block off the Route 1 jughandles at Washington Road and Harrison Street, will last about 12 weeks unless it there are early indications of its ineffectiveness. The goal of the experiment is to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion.

Members of the Princeton Merchants Association, who met with transportation department officials last February to express their concerns about the project’s impact on local business, plan to hold a special meeting tomorrow, June 28, to make sure they are prepared for any changes the trial might bring.

“We’re going to reconvene and strategize on how we can monitor and assist with management from the business community,” said Kevin Wilkes, a member of Borough Council and architect at Princeton Design Guild. “I’m eagerly anxious to see what happens with this. Everyone is full of predictions. The test, from everything I hear, is going to be well managed.”

The project’s announcement last February drew protests from area residents as well as business owners. Among their worries was the possible increase in traffic after the May opening of the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, which is located just north of Harrison Street on Route 1. Officials stressed that while they understood concerns, the traffic problems needed to be addressed. To allow for the opening of the hospital, the DOT agreed to put off the experiment until August.

“I certainly haven’t heard any complaints about hospital traffic since it opened,” said David Newton, of Palmer Square Management. Mr. Newton was among those most concerned about the impact of the jughandle trial last spring. He is cautiously optimistic that the project will not cause problems.

“We will have to wait and see until the trial commences,” he said. “We did have an understanding with the DOT that they will monitor the situation carefully, and they demonstrated their ability to work with us since the hospital moved. Like everything else, one has to be positive on these things. If it’s the wrong thing, knowing Princeton there will be a huge chorus and outcry. And if it’s the right thing, nobody will be nice enough to tell them that.”

Drivers going north on Route 1 during the trial will no longer be able to make a U-turn or a left turn into Princeton using the jughandles. Alternatively, they will need to turn off at Alexander Road or proceed north to Scudders Mill Road and double back. Motorists will also be prevented from turning right onto Varsity Avenue so that the street is not used as a shortcut. U-turns, but not left turns, will be allowed on Fisher Place.

Temporary barriers will be used to put the project in place. The DOT is collecting traffic volume information throughout the Borough and Township, as well as in West Windsor and Plainsboro prior to and during the trial period. Traffic data is also being measured by Princeton University.

Officials at the DOT said that if the restrictions do not reduce congestion, or make the traffic worse, the trial will be terminated. For details and diagrams of the changes that will be made under the trial, go to www.nj.gov/transportation” and click on the blue button near the top of the page labeled “NJcommuter.com and select “Construction Updates” from the drop-down menu and click on “Route 1 Pilot Project.”