The second of two public information sessions on the Department of Transportation’s plan to block off the Route 1 jughandles at Washington Road and Harrison Street will be held tonight, January 25, from 5-8 p.m. at Princeton Borough Hall. Representatives of the DOT and consultants will make a presentation and answer questions about the Route 1 Pilot Project, which is expected to begin in March and last about eight weeks.

Under the plan, northbound drivers on Route 1 would no longer be able to use the jughandles at Washington Road and Harrison Street to cut across the highway into Princeton, or to make U-turns. Drivers would either have to turn off at Alexander Road or drive up to Scudders Mill Road, turn around and come back. A previous study indicated that the jughandles were not adequate, resulting in traffic backup onto Route 1, the DOT says.

The plan has been opposed by local officials, commuters, and Princeton officials and representatives from Princeton University, who worry that rush hour backups will be worse if the jughandles are blocked off.

For more information about the project or the forum, contact Kimberly Nance at (609) 530-2110 or email her at Kimberly.Nance@dot.state.nj.us.