All parties agree that new road will end in Hillsborough
By: Greg Forester
MONTGOMERY The end of the Route 206-bypass dilemma is in sight for Montgomery residents.
Montgomery Township officials met with representatives of Hillsborough, Somerset County and the New Jersey Department of Transportation Monday to work out the final details of the new $110 million Route 206 bypass plan.
Under the revised plan, which should take three to four years to construct, the terminus of the freeway would end at Mountain View Road in Hillsborough, a compromise that satisfies both Hillsborough and Montgomery’s needs, officials said.
"This has been going on since 1988," said Montgomery Township Committeeman John Warms, who was in attendance at Monday’s meeting. "After today, I believe the issue will be well taken care of."
The Amwell Road and Mountain View Road intersections were examined in great detail, Deputy Mayor Louise Wilson said.
"I think everyone who attended the meeting was happy with the new plans for the intersections," said Ms. Wilson.
The Mountain View intersection would include a signal controlling cars coming onto Route 206 south from the bypass, effectively restricting the flow of traffic through Montgomery, Ms. Wilson said.
Northbound traffic getting on the bypass would flow unrestricted to a direct on-ramp.
Monday’s meeting also revealed that the bypass’s intersection with Amwell Road would take into consideration Hillsborough’s plans to build a transit village nearby.
This way, the construction of the transit village would not require great revision to the bypass itself, Deputy Mayor Wilson said.
Ms. Wilson said motorists would be happy to know the bypass itself would only contain three traffic lights from start to finish, as opposed to the same stretch of Route 206, which boasts nine traffic lights.
Only half of the bypass would be a four-lane freeway, with the other half being two lanes, officials said.
Montgomery officials said the majority of the roadway would be restricted-access, limiting development around the road and keeping the growth of traffic at a minimum.
While officials worked out the details for the bypass intersections at Amwell Road, Mountain View Road, and others, the general path of the bypass is certain, concluding at a point well north of the original terminus, Belle Mead-Griggstown Road in Montgomery.
This aspect of the plan satisfies the needs of Montgomery Township, which contended that the terminus of the old plan would have exacerbated the township’s traffic problems.
Traffic studies performed at the behest of the township showed a split of the traffic traveling south on Route 206, with 70 percent continuing down 206 toward Princeton and the remainder turning onto Route 601 at Belle Mead.
Montgomery Township officials believed the original bypass plan would have increased the 70-percent share of the Route 206 traffic, bringing more traffic to an area infamous for its rush-hour traffic snarls.
The original terminus would have also split the Pike Run development in half, a prospect strongly opposed by residents. Now their neighborhood will remain together.
"I’m glad to finally have the issue behind us," said Pike Run resident Jerome Carr. "The residents were concerned with the safety of the children, who may have been forced to dodge cars, especially with the overflow of traffic the bypass would have caused."
Mr. Carr said Pike Run residents and the homeowners’ association plan to look into what can be done with the land set aside for the bypass.
"We can now focus on what to do with the property now," said Mr. Carr. "We would like to put in a recreation area for teenagers here in Pike Run."
Pike Run representatives have already been in touch with the township about the recreation area, which could include softball fields or basketball courts, Mr. Carr said.
In addition to information about the bypass, Montgomery officials said they were pleased to find out the DOT intends to rebuild the aging Route 206 bridge over the CSX railroad tracks in Belle Mead.
Officials said the bridge is in bad condition, having been built in 1917.
The obsolete design of the bridge is in desperate need of revision, Ms. Wilson said.
Construction on the bridge, which would cost around $18 million, would begin in late 2008 or early 2009.
While the revised plan has been nearly 20 years in the making, recent impetus from the state DOT has provided Montgomery, Hillsborough and Somerset County an environment to work out the plan together.
On March 6, the parties involved all met at the DOT’s offices, to attend a "smart solutions" workshop facilitated by the state.
Monday’s meeting at the Somerset County Fire Training Academy in Hillsborough was the planned follow-up to the workshop.
Montgomery Township officials have said they have been extremely pleased with the way the state has been handling the process lately.
"The initiative the state has been taking is truly how things should have been done in the past," said Mr. Warms.
Once the nature of the intersections is worked out, the Hillsborough Township Committee would introduce a resolution of support for the plan, Mr. Warms said.
There will also be public hearings on the plan in the future.

