WEST WINDSOR: Alexander Road bridge set to reopen Thursday

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
    Relief is in sight for detour-weary motorists — the Alexander Road Bridge is expected to be open to traffic Thursday, Dec. 4 according to Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh.
   Construction crews are currently finishing up paving of the roadway and bridge before it can be opened, the mayor said. Only a snowstorm or drenching rain could delay the construction, he said.
   Connections to roads surrounding the bridge have been closed since July 11. At that time, officials predicted the new bridge would be open in mid-October.
   However, a two-month extension was announced in September, attributed to work on gas pipes that required assistance from Public Service Electric & Gas Co.
   Funding for the $24 million project came entirely from the state, Mayor Hsueh said.
   The bridge was built directly beside the old span. An arc is painted under the new bridge to reflect the design of the old bridge in tribute. It carried traffic over the Northeast Corridor tracks for nearly 67 years.
   The bridge was replaced because it was structurally obsolete, the mayor said.
   The demolition of the old bridge, which will require the new bridge to be closed briefly, will occur after Amtrak completes necessary work.
   Other remaining work, including painting and the moving of utility poles, will be completed after the bridge is opened to traffic.
   The new bridge and roadway features a roundabout at the intersection of Alexander Road and North Post Road. Planners believe it will allow traffic to flow more freely, especially during peak traffic times associated with the nearby Princeton Junction train station.
   In the middle of the roundabout, cobblestone circles an open area. Decoration for the area has not been decided, but it may feature, according to the mayor, a monument honoring the U.S. Olympic rowing team, which practices at Mercer County Lake in the township, or the “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast, which included the landing of Martians at Grovers Mill Pond.
   The new roadway replaces a section of North Post Road and Alexander Road. The older roads will be renamed North Post Court and Alexander Court to avoid possible confusion for emergency crews.
   Emergency vehicles and buses will also try out the new traffic patterns before the bridge is open, Mayor Hsueh said.
   A portion of the former North Post Road that runs alongside the bridge will be made into a bike- and pedestrian- friendly path. The bridge itself has also been made pedestrian friendly, with sidewalks on both sides and a bike path in the road.
   Funding for these improvements came from a $200,000 grant from the state for the construction of safe pedestrian and bicycle paths, the mayor said.
   Shrubbery and a large wall, whose red brick façade was chosen in consultation with residents, will protect residents who live behind the roundabout from noise from the traffic and trains.
   Mayor Hsueh said he is very pleased with the outcome of the construction.
   ”I think it turned out to be much better than we originally anticipated,” he said.