Princeton officials want big rigs off local roads
By Nick Norlen Staff Writer
A final decision affecting the future use of Princeton’s roadways by large trucks is still pending from the state Department of Transportation but a recent accident on Route 206 dramatizes the concerns cited by local officials.
Township Committeeman Chad Goerner said that last week’s accident involving an overturned tractor-trailer that spilled shredded trash on Route 206 is an example of the type of hazards posed by large trucks. The Aug. 30 accident caused the roadway to be closed for 11 hours.
”That hazard would be exacerbated because of the fact that we’d be talking about these very large trucks,” Goerner said, noting that he lives just two houses down from the spill site. “That’s just one example. But the thing is, when you have more truck traffic on the roadway, you’re going to have more accidents like that. It’s a matter of numbers.”
In February, township and borough officials sent the DOT a weighty document requesting the exemption of Routes 206 and 27 and Washington Road and Mercer Street from the New Jersey Access Network.
Although previous regulations restricted 102-inch-wide and double-trailer trucks with no New Jersey destination or origin from entering the network, a recent federal court ruling stated that the rules unconstitutionally violated interstate commerce.
Afterward, the state created new rules for the truck network, which comprises state and county roadways to be used by large trucks.
But Princeton officials have claimed that allowing such trucks to access the roads for which they seek exclusion would raise a number of concerns.
Mr. Goerner, who is the liaison to the township traffic safety committee, said he recently received a response to a letter he sent to DOT Commissioner Kris Kolluri reiterating the exemption requests.
He said Mr. Kolluri’s assistant said the department has “received so many comments they haven’t been able to go through them all.”
”And currently, they just don’t have an answer as to the exemption request,” he said.
”The key thing is they only apply to 102-inch-wide or double-trailer tandems,” he said. “These are really only for those incredibly large trucks.”
He said the concerns about such trucks using area roadways are multi-faceted.
”Obviously, safety is an important issue, but there was also roadway geometrics,” he said, citing the intersection of Nassau Street and Bayard Lane as an “incredibly difficult intersection for one of the oversized trucks to move through safely.”
In addition, he said concerns exist about pedestrian and bicyclist safety, as well as potential damage to historical structures and possible environmental impacts.
Most importantly, “we have residential corridors throughout Bayard and Stockton,” he said. “The state needs to look at this very seriously, because we’re very serious about it.”
For that reason, he said the DOT should closely examine the Route 206 vision plan because it “provides for traffic calming and for better pedestrian and bicycle access to the community and these roads.”
”While they may be labeled on some maps as 206, they are residential roads in Princeton,” he said. “They need to be streets that are conducive to fostering a community, and right now they’re threatened.”
In addition to the exemption request, Mr. Goerner said the municipalities have also requested language changes in the regulations that define “reasonable access” and the different criteria for exclusions.
”Obviously we’re going to continue to follow up and make it known our stance on the issues,” he said.

