Lewisville Road will be dug up and reconstructed.
By: Lea Kahn
Lewisville Road which township officials have said is the road in the worst condition in Lawrence Township is slated to be dug up and reconstructed this summer.
About a dozen residents attended a public hearing on the project last week.
Most of the residents asked about its impact on their properties. But one resident questioned whether the project is a good idea because the poor condition of the road slows down motorists who use the road that runs between Franklin Corner Road and Princeton Pike.
The April 23 meeting was required as a condition for receiving $499,000 in federal funds for the job. Lewisville Road residents were noticed to attend the special meeting with Municipal Engineer Christopher Budzinski and Assistant Municipal Engineer Brenda Kraemer.
Work on the reconstruction project is expected to start about July 1 and be completed by Sept. 30, Mr. Budzinski said. A contract is expected to be awarded soon.
The plans call for reconstructing the mile-long road, Mr. Budzinski said. The road has a base of 6 inches of asphalt, which will be removed. It will be replaced with 8 inches of asphalt. The road will be widened to 22 feet. It is now 19 to 20 feet wide.
The road humps that are in place will be removed and then replaced when the job is completed. Additional road humps, which are used to slow down traffic, may be added, Mr. Budzinski said. Curbs will be installed at the storm sewers and road humps.
Spencer Tandy of Lewisville Road said motorists have discovered it as a shortcut between Franklin Corner Road and Princeton Pike. Some motorists travel at 50 to 60 miles per hour down the road, despite its condition, he said.
"By widening the road and improving the surface, you will only play into the hands of people who speed," Mr. Tandy said. "They will drive faster. People will become speeders."
Mr. Tandy said some towns deliberately keep their roads in poor condition to discourage motorists from speeding. Speed humps are not effective in slowing down speeders, he said, because some drivers speed up and fly over the speed humps.
"Look no further than Princeton Borough," he said. "Mercer Road is much worse condition than Lewisville Road. They keep it that way to discourage speeding."
Bonne Rawley of Lewisville Road agreed that the poor condition of the road may have discouraged some drivers from speeding. They may be more likely to speed because of the improved road surface, she said.
"On the other hand, the road needs repair," she said. "It’s a trade-off. The biggest concern was how much wider would they make the road, so people don’t lose their porches. But that doesn’t appear to be an issue."

