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.”


August 8, 2012

Transportation Dept.: More Signs Planned To Help Motorists Navigate U.S. Route 1

DO’S AND DON’TS: Princeton University created this graphic illustration to show traffic restrictions under the NJDOT’s current Route 1 pilot project.

The trial program to ease congestion on Route 1 by restricting left turns and U-turns on Route 1 at Washington Road and Harrison Street in West Windsor was two days old on Monday when New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) spokesman Joe Dee allowed that, “We’re going to make some adjustments.”

“We need to get the word out,” said Mr. Dee, noting that some people are making what might be instinctive, but are now illegal, turns. “We have to reemphasize movements that are no longer available to motorists and ease confusion.”

He described the “adjustments” as “some more signs to help people understand where left turns are not allowed, to help guide people a little better. I was out there Friday night and we’ve been looking at how traffic was behaving over the weekend.”

NJDOT is seeking to reduce congestion along the Route 1 northbound corridor in the vicinity of Washington Road and Harrison Street where the rightmost of three lanes becomes crowded with motorists queuing to make left turns, particularly during peak travel periods. Temporary construction barrels are being used to implement the restrictions over the course of a planned 12-week trial period.

After the conclusion of the trial, NJDOT representatives will meet with “stakeholders” to present their findings as to whether the restrictions have proven to be effective in reducing Route 1 congestion and to discuss the extent of any secondary impacts on local streets and roads.

If the trial is deemed a success, the turns will not be restored and the department will replace the temporary barriers with more aesthetically pleasing permanent barriers as expeditiously as possible.

If the trial is unsuccessful, the temporary restrictions will be removed to restore all existing traffic movements.

In the meantime, local municipal offices, the Board of Education, Princeton University, the Merchants Association, and the University Medical Center of Princeton have posted alternative routes for navigating Route 1 on their websites.


March 7, 2012

Cost and Inconvenience of Route 1 Closure Will Be Underestimated if Done in August

To the Editor:

I was happy to read that the NJDOT has agreed to postpone its experimental closing of the Harrison Street and Washington Road jug-handles on Route 1. It was refreshing to see what can be accomplished when our merchants, University, and elected officials present a united front. My only concern is that this experiment will lead to biased results (in favor of permanent closure) if it is conducted in August. Many employees and customers who would typically enter Princeton using one of these jug-handles will be away on vacation in August. Since many of the folks who will be most impacted by the proposed closures will not be around to voice their concerns, the cost of the closure will be underestimated. Furthermore, the benefits of the experiment will be overestimated since NJDOT will observe reduced congestion at these intersections and attribute it to the jug-handle closures (and not to the fact that fewer cars are on the road). Thus, I propose that the experiment be conducted in September or October, not August.

Smita Brunnermeier
Maclean Circle