Princeton may offer streets to county

Council discusses turning over the borough portions of Elm Road, Mercer Street, Washington Road and Harrison Street.

By: Jennifer Potash
   Princeton Borough may cede some of its roadways to Mercer County.
   The Princeton Borough Council last week discussed the possibility of turning over the borough portions of Elm Road, Mercer Street, Washington Road and Harrison Street to the county.
   The rest of these roads are already under county authority.
   For example, Washington Road is a county road, Route 571, in Princeton Township and West Windsor but is a municipal road in Princeton Borough.
   Also, Elm Road between Stockton Street and Rosedale Road is county-owned, but the borough controls the road between Rosedale and Westerly Road.
   "I don’t know what the rationale for that is but it’s time we explored that," Mayor Marvin Reed said.
   Unlike other municipalities in Mercer County, the borough has less than a handful of county roads within its borders, Mayor Reed said. The mayor said it’s time to look at the situation because the county is working on its 2003 budget now.
   Also, the political climate may be especially amenable as Mercer County Executive Robert Prunetti, a Republican, is up for re-election in November, Mayor Reed said.
   Under the county tax formulas, wealthier municipalities tend to pay more while getting back less in aid, Mayor Reed said. The county has given the borough a $50,000 grant to redo several streets in the John-Witherspoon neighborhood and is interested in providing another $50,000 grant for other road projects, Mayor Reed said.
   "The freeholders would really like to help us out," Mayor Reed said.
   The move could save the borough money in repair and maintenance costs, and some potential headaches in terms of neighborhood demands for traffic calming and burying utility wires.
   If the county took on Mercer Street, it would be up to the county to deal with issues the neighbors raised about burying utility wires in that historic district. Council members asked Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi to approach the county for more information, but also said some key questions must be answered before the borough gives up local control.
   Councilwoman Wendy Benchley said the borough should look carefully at how much say residents would have in road reconstruction decisions and also whether or not the county would take into consideration borough residents’ desire to keep tree-lined, two-lane streets.
   Council President Mildred Trotman noted that residents have objected to past county plans to widen intersections at Elm Road.
   Many of the roads under consideration run through districts with formal historic preservation designations.
   Nor can the borough decide to dump the roads onto the county, which must agree to take possession of them, Mayor Reed said.
   Mercer County Freeholder Brian Hughes said the freeholders haven’t discussed the possibility of adding the borough portions of Harrison Street, Washington Road, Mercer Street and Elm Road to the county inventory, but they are willing to talk with the borough.
   "It sounds like an idea that makes a lot of sense," he said.
   Mr. Hughes, a Democrat and a Princeton Township resident, already has announce his candidacy for Mercer County executive.