In the revised design, the bypass would end at Mountainview Road.
By: Purvi Desai
Local officials said on Wednesday that they are glad to finally have a copy of the state Department of Transportation’s Route 206 bypass design plan and map, following a closed-door meeting held locally on Monday.
Local engineers, planners and traffic and safety experts, including police, fire and rescue officials, have been handed the plan and accompanying maps to review and make recommendations upon, ahead of the DOT’s public meeting scheduled for May 8, Mayor Anthony Ferrera said.
"Let’s really see how it’s going to flow and how it’s going to work," he said. "We want to get recommendations back to the DOT before the public meeting in May."
Hillsborough, Montgomery, Somerset County and state DOT officials met at the Somerset County Fire Training Academy to discuss changes to the $110 million bypass project including a new ending at Mountainview Road, stop lights at Amwell and Hillsborough road interchanges and an approximate $60 million reduction in cost.
The Route 206 bypass had been planned to reduce congestion on Route 206 by bypassing the area between Old Somerville Road and Montgomery. The total construction funding is set at $100,806,000.
The revised design of the bypass expects to relocate the bypass’ southern terminal at Mountainview Road instead of Pikes Run to cut the cost of the project by eliminating additional bridges and roads, Mayor Ferrera said.
As a result of the change in the plan, the environmental impact statement will be unnecessary and cuts the timeline of the project by several years, he said.
The new design starts at the same point at Old Somerville Road, but maps an ending at Mountainview Road, near the 438-acre Belle Mead GSA Depot. In the previous plan, the bypass ended by rejoining Route 206 at Belle Mead-Griggstown Road in Montgomery.
Township Committeeman Carl Suraci said that one of the concerns he has is regarding the new design is whether two proposed traffic lights at the intersections of Amwell and Hillsborough roads with the Route 206 bypass would slow traffic flow and cause congestion.
He said the two traffic lights and a reduction of lanes on Amwell Road from four to two on the Route 206 bypass are new design components that were not part of the original design. In the original plan, the lanes would have been reduced when the bypass traveled into Montgomery.
"The project is supposed to be a bypass expressway," Mr. Suraci said. "My point of view is that those items could potentially create or provide the same level of traffic or congestion. Those are concerns of mine. I’m looking to get answers (ahead in the bypass timeline process)."
Local and state officials are also working on a separate project aimed at rebuilding the sharp-curved bridge on Route 206, which carries traffic over the CSX line in Montgomery, he said. The rebuilding of the bridge will lessen the curve and realign the Route 206 and Route 601 intersection.
"It’s a poor design in that area, but people do use 601," Mr. Suraci said. "You do see a fair amount of cars on 601. The reason they need to make improvements there is because the bypass is going to end on Mountainview Road, so that traffic flow is not impeded once it filters onto Route 206."
The realignment of the bridge will not interfere with the bypass project and although both projects are expected to begin sometime in 2008, the bridge would start ahead of the bypass and be completed two years earlier than the four-year projected timeline of the expressway, Mr. Suraci said.
At present, Hillsborough is planning to persuade DOT officials to hold the May 8 scheduled public hearing in town, he said. At that meeting, DOT engineers and planners, Montgomery officials and Hillsborough officials will present their analyzed data and recommendations to the public.
The only possible impediment that could hinder the bypass project’s estimated construction start date of June 2008 could be a demand for major changes to the design following the public meeting on May 8, Mr. Suraci said.
"A lot will hinge on it, depending if any additional changes will be need to be made," he said. "Hopefully, they will be minimal."
He said the proposed new design provides the same traffic congestion relief, allows traffic to flow on the bypass in the same manner that it would have onto Pikes Run, and does not introduce any new points of traffic congestion.
"I think at this point everyone is on the same position," Mr. Suraci said. "Montgomery officials want Hillsborough to have the same benefit that they do from the bypass."
"Everybody is trying to work for the common good," Mayor Ferrera said. "We’re making sure it is the right thing for residents in Hillsborough, and we’re making sure this project will start sometime in 2008.
"I think people are finally getting excited about this for real. I think it’s finally going to happen,"he added.

