Interim safety measures announced.
By: David Campbell
WEST WINDSOR Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said Wednesday the county will pursue interim pedestrian and traffic safety improvements to a 1-mile stretch of county Route 571 improvements that could be implemented as soon as mid-June.
Known locally as Princeton-Hightstown Road, the county roadway was the site of a pedestrian fatality last month when an elderly woman was struck and killed and her husband left in critical condition while attempting to cross the road. Neighbors, who have been in talks with county and township officials about possible upgrades, responded by calling for public-safety upgrades as soon as possible.
Last week, township consultants made a presentation before the Planning Board, and residents outlined a number of alternatives for long-term safety and beautification upgrades to the county road and four of its intersections.
At that presentation, Gary Davies, a consultant with Urbitran Associates, recommended engineering a narrower road with wider landscaped borders and fewer median islands.
Urbitran is undertaking the first major study in several years of the high-traffic roadway, which township and county officials have long said needs improving. Mr. Davies said at the presentation last week that no funding is available for the work but that federal funds would be sought. The consultant said it could take up to five years before construction related to the long-term planning could begin.
Mr. Hughes’ office issued a news release Wednesday saying the county’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will move forward with interim improvements aimed at addressing safety and traffic flow problems along the section of Route 571 that has generated concern, between Clarksville and Wallace roads.
"This administration has consistently been committed to working to ensure that this stretch of road is as safe and user-friendly as possible," Hughes said. "These short-term improvements will make a difference, as well as help us build toward our long-term solutions."
A re-striping plan for the roadway has been developed, and planned traffic signal upgrades for its intersection with Clarksville Road include the installation of additional pedestrian push buttons and pedestrian signs, pedestrian signal indicators and signs to prohibit right turns on red when children are crossing, the county said. A pedestrian crosswalk and signs will be installed at the Sherbrooke Road intersection and the Acme shopping center driveway, according to the county.
Pending state Department of Transportation approval of proposed striping and sign modifications, the county hopes to proceed with the interim improvements by mid-June. The county also is making a formal request to the DOT for installation of a left-turn arrow for westbound Princeton-Hightstown Road traffic turning onto Wallace Road, because that portion of the road is under NJDOT jurisdiction, the county said.
The estimated cost for immediate upgrades is about $20,000, to be drawn from $500,000 in the county’s transportation budget set aside for improvements, a spokesman for the county said Wednesday. The county will seek reimbursement through various federal funding sources, the spokesman said.
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said Wednesday he is happy the improvements will move ahead. "I think it’s very good," he said. "That’s what we wanted to see."
In a release issued Thursday the mayor said that in addition to the improvements planned by the county for the summer, the township is looking into sidewalk and lighting improvements for added pedestrian and traffic safety.
"After 20 years of no progress, we are grateful to County Executive Brian Hughes for making this a priority," the mayor said in the release. He said he looked forward to county and township cooperation on interim and long-term improvements.
Lancashire Drive resident Meg Chicco, a member of the Princeton Junction Neighborhoods’ Coalition, said she was thrilled by the county’s announcement Wednesday.
"I’m very happy," she said. "After the accident in February, there was a huge outcry to do something. The county was very responsive to neighbors."