Groundbreaking held for Alexander Road bridge

Span over Northeast Corridor tracks expected to eliminate a constant commuter headache in West Windsor

By: Greg Forester
   WEST WINDSOR — A groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning symbolized the start of a project that could relieve a constant headache for commuters in West Windsor Township: the rebuilding of the Alexander Road bridge.
   Officials say the new bridge — projected to be completed in late 2008 — will be much safer for pedestrians and cyclists than its predecessor, and should also suffer from much less traffic backup.
   Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, County Executive Brian Hughes, Council President Will Anklowitz and New Jersey Department of Transportation officials smiled as they donned construction hats and dug shovels into dirt covering the site of the new bridge.
   "Our economic vitality relies upon our transportation system and safely moving people from point A to point B, and that is what the new bridge will do," said Mr. Hughes.
   West Windsor taxpayers were spared the financial burden of the bridge project, with the project’s $10 million bill to be footed completely by the state, and maintenance to be undertaken by Mercer County.
   "I want to thank the Department of Transportation and the county for getting involved and supporting us in this effort," said Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, who began discussions with the state about the project five years ago. "The cooperation and joint effort on this project has resulted in one of the first bridges to be designed for safe use by cyclists and pedestrians."
   The intersection at the bridge’s southern end will feature a roundabout designed to calm the traffic that tends to back up there during rush hour each weekday.
   Cyclists and pedestrians crossing the bridge will have four-foot lanes on either side of the roadway to safely cross the structure.
   There will also be a local access road that skirts the bridge’s intersection with North Post and Alexander roads, sparing pedestrians and cyclists from a harrowing trip through the busy intersection, as they currently are required to do.
   Construction plans call for the building of the majority of the new span directly adjacent to the old bridge — as opposed to tearing down the old bridge and building the new one in its place — sparing commuters time-consuming detours.
   Township officials said Alexander Road would be closed for a small portion of the project, but only for 90 days, a small fraction of the total construction time of 16 to 18 months.
   Residents living near the construction site could have had to suffer through nights of construction noise as shafts built to house the piles supporting the bridge were drilled through earth and rock.
   But the township and New Jersey Department of Transportation agreed to a solution that has construction crews pounding the piles into the ground during the daytime, saving potential nights of lost sleep for residents living near the site.
   Township officials said they were pleased that the project could the plight of commuters and residents who are currently forced to wait in traffic on the approaches of the bridge during rush hour.
   "The project should help in making the trip over the bridge easier for residents, allowing them to get to work and home faster, improving their quality of life," said Council President Will Anklowitz.
   Work on sewer piping under the intersection of Alexander and Wallace roads continues, as crews repair damage to the sewer system.
   Township officials said the closures should continue through Wednesday.