DOT plan calls for upgrades to intersections
By Paul Koepp
Staff Writer
Seven intersections of Route 1 in the township are set to receive improvements from the state Department of Transportation, but work will not start before 2010 at the earliest.
Township officials said that while they appreciate the “quick-fix” efforts to address congestion on Route 1, the plans fall short of their ultimate goal of having the road widened to three lanes throughout South Brunswick.
DOT officials made a presentation Tuesday to the Township Council outlining plans to improve traffic flow at the intersections of Route 1 and New Road, Wynwood Drive, Deans Lane, Henderson Road, Raymond Road, Sand Hills Road and Major Road.
The recommendations came after a study conducted by the DOT this summer of all 13 Route 1 intersections in the township, as well as two in North Brunswick. The DOT announced in May that it did not have enough money to widen the whole length of Route 1 in the township.
Bernie Boerchers, of the DOT, told the council that the eastbound turn lane and the westbound through lane at the New Road intersection operate at the F level of service, the worst grade. He said that adding auxiliary lanes and improving lane alignments could “enhance safety and increase capacity” at the intersection, giving it a D or E level of service.
An F level of service indicates a location where speeds are substantially reduced and traffic stoppages can occur for a long or short period of time.
However, to build the deceleration lanes that would provide the best remedy, easements would have to be acquired from several properties along Route 1, Mr. Boerchers said. He added that a driveway for the Exxon gas station is closer to the intersection than state code allows, which would make improvements difficult.
Mr. Boerchers said the concept planning for the New Road intersection fixes could be done by the end of September, and a feasibility assessment could be done by January.
The planning for all of the improvements is being condensed from two years to six months, he said, adding that the process could be expedited because many of the fixes are superficial, like traffic signal changes, striping and added signs. The DOT officials said a 2010 start date for the projects was a “good guess.”
The improvements to the Wynwood Drive, Deans Lane, and Henderson Road would mostly involve changing lane alignments to eliminate dangerous merging, Mr. Boerchers said.
He said fixes at Henderson Road could improve the eastbound left turn lane and the westbound through lane from F levels of service to D or E ratings.
”It’s not stellar but it would be noticeable to residents,” he said.
The Raymond Road, Sand Hills Road, and Major Road intersections would receive additional highway lighting, since the DOT study showed that night accidents along Route 1 in the township are above average, Mr. Boerchers said.
Council members said they appreciated the presentation but would remain committed to making sure that $7 million in federal funds dedicated to study a widening of Route 1 would not be diverted to other purposes.
”I don’t want anyone at the state to think that they’ve taken care of South Brunswick and put widening Route 1 on the back burner,” said Councilman Chris Killmurray. “This is not a substitute for what we all know needs to be done, and that’s widening the road.”
Councilman Joe Camarota said he was disappointed in the DOT presentation because all of the improvements described are still two to three years away.
He pointed out that South Brunswick has one of the only two-lane stretches of Route 1 in the state. Route 1 is three lanes in North Brunswick and Plainsboro, which can cause traffic problems when cars funnel into the two-lane section in South Brunswick.
”Our two main problems are still at Aaron Road and Independence Way, where we go from three lanes to two,” he said.
Sgt. James Stoddard, head of the Police Department’s Traffic Safety Bureau, said that while the DOT presented “solid concepts,” they were only short-term fixes.
”When you move traffic efficiently, you move it safely,” he said. “This (plan) is not the Cadillac, it’s not the gold standard, and it’s not the widening that everyone hoped for.”

