Officials plan meeting on Route 206 traffic

Representatives from Princeton and Hopewell are expected to participate.

By: Lea Kahn
   State and local officials plan to meet Wednesday with township residents to discuss the impact of truck traffic on Route 206 — and how to reduce it.
   Mayor Pam Mount called the special meeting, set for 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building, at the request of residents who live along Route 206 in the northern part of the township.
   "There is a traffic crisis on Route 206, particularly the trucks," Mayor Mount said. "We want to hear what other towns are doing, see how we may fit it and what we can do to lessen the truck traffic."
   Representatives from the State Police, the state Department of Transportation and the Hopewell Township Task Force on Traffic are expected to attend the meeting, Mayor Mount said.
   Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand and David Shure — who served as co-chairwoman and co-chairman of the King’s Highway Ad Hoc Committee — also plan to attend, she said, as do Princeton Borough Mayor Marvin Reed and State Sen. Shirley Turner.
   "At night, the trucks barrel along Route 206. The point is, they should stay on the highway. Now that Route 206 has been designated as the King’s Highway Historic District, it seems more pressing to find out how to preserve it," Mayor Mount said.
   The 10-mile-long King’s Highway Historic District starts on Route 206 at Franklin Corner Road in Lawrence. It follows Route 206 into Princeton Borough, where it splits off to follow Nassau Street/Route 27 into Kingston. It ends at the intersection of Route 27 and Raymond Road in South Brunswick and Franklin townships.
   The King’s Highway Historic District was named to the state and national Registers of Historic Places last year. But that designation does not ban trucks from using the highway, Mayor Mount said.
   Although it is not really a Township Council meeting and no formal action is planned, Mayor Mount said, the decision was made to formally announce it according to the state Open Public Meetings Act. All Township Council members may attend the meeting.
   If three or more Township Council members are gathered together, then a meeting must be advertised. A minimum of three council members is needed to conduct formal business.