Intersection project
ahead of schedule
By dave goldberg
Staff Writer
DAWNMARIE SANNWALDT Traffic is backed up at 9:30 a.m. last Thursday on Route 1 south at the intersection of Route 130 while construction is being done to the Route 130 overpass.
NORTH BRUNSWICK — The routes 1 and 130 interchange project, originally scheduled to be completed in May, might be finished even earlier.
"I think the project is moving along well," said North Brunswick police Sgt. William Kloos. "It is moving slightly ahead of schedule."
Officials say that the permanent ramp that will connect Route 1 to Route 130 in North Brunswick is scheduled to open within the next month.
"The temporary ramps are going to be removed by Oct. 15. Within a month the new ramp will be opened, weather permitting," said Kloos.
The state’s $83 million reconstruction of the intersection may be nearly complete, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT). Construction at the site, which includes new bridges, noise walls, and improved drainage and street lighting, is scheduled for completion by Memorial Day 2003.
Kloos said he believes that the project may be finished even earlier than the DOT’s expected completion date.
"In my opinion, as long as the weather holds out, I think they should be finished two to three months ahead of schedule," Kloos said. "Personally, I think they may be done in March. It is all dependent on the weather."
The project has remained very safe for workers and motorists during the work on the highways, according to Kloos.
"The Department of Transportation is continuing its emphasis on safety," Kloos said. "I don’t know of any incident from the construction. There have been no accidents related to workers. No one has been hurt while working on the project."
The speeding traffic on Route 130 has slowed down a bit due to the construction, according to Kloos.
"It (the speeding problem) is still there," Kloos said. "I think Route 130 is more active in the construction area. It is down to one lane with some of the closures. It naturally slows down traffic. The speeds have slowed down during the daytime."
The officers who monitor the construction area for speeding activities are paid by the state, according to Kloos.
"They work about 25 hours a week with DOT reimbursement," Kloos said. "The hours and the days tend to vary depending on the weather. The 25 hours a week are supplemented by on-duty officers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sometimes we even have officers on the weekend, because the DOT sometimes have workers out there."
Kloos said that the town requested to have the extra officers to make the area safer.
"We requested the assistance from the DOT," Kloos said. "They gave us the approval and responded very fast. We have had a good relationship with them on this project."
Although the volume of traffic has picked up, Kloos said that the drivers are becoming used to the situation.
"They are adjusting well," Kloos said. "They know what to expect. There are some backups, but that has a lot to do with school. There is about 25 to 30 percent of the traffic that can be attributed to those driving to and from the schools. It’s amazing how light the traffic is during the summertime."
The Route 1 construction area has also become a speed limit enforcement site, according to Kloos.
"On Route 1, we have been enforcing the construction area for quite some time," Kloos said. "We have donated extra attention to the area. We wrote over 100 tickets on Labor Day weekend alone in the construction area."
The DOT began work on the project in December. The complete design of the project was presented in July. A construction contract is expected to be awarded in November. The completion of the project was originally expected by the fall of 2004.

