By Lea Kahn, The Packet Group
LAWRENCE — Navigating to and from Princeton through Lawrence Township may present some challenges this month, as some of the road projects under way throughout the township will require detours.
Mercer County officials have arranged for detours for a section of Province Line Road, between the Delaware and Raritan Canal and Quaker Road, while the county-maintained road is being resurfaced this week, according to Lawrence Township Municipal Engineer James Parvesse. The affected section of Province Line Road is closed to motorists weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., so those who would use the road to reach the shopping malls and other destinations are being detoured into Princeton Township, where they will use Quaker Road and Princeton Pike.
Mr. Parvesse said that while cars may use Quaker Road in Princeton Township, trucks are being detoured to Route 1. The resurfacing project is expected to be finished by Wednesday.
But some motorists may not find Route 1 to be an easy ride, either — especially if they are using the highway during the overnight hours while a 2-mile-long stretch of the road is being resurfaced.
The project should be completed by December, according to a press release issued by the state Department of Transportation. The affected roadway is located between County Route 533 and the vicinity of the Delaware and Raritan Canal, and spans Lawrence and West Windsor townships.
One lane of traffic will be maintained on Route 1 at all times, but delays may occur due to lane closures during the overnight hours, the DOT said. All lanes will be open during the daytime.
On the two-lane sections of Route 1 South, one-lane closures will be needed from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. weekdays, and from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. on the weekend. One lane will be closed on two-lane sections of Route 1 North between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays, and from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. weekends.
On the three-lane section of Route 1 South, single-lane closures will be necessary between 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. weekdays, and from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. weekends. Double-lane closures may take place daily from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
On the three-lane sections of Route 1 North, single-lane closures will be necessary between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. weekdays, and from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. weekends. Double-lane closures may occur daily between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The DOT will install variable message signs on Route 1 to inform motorists of traffic pattern changes during the project. Real time travel and construction information is available online at www.nj511.info. Also in Lawrence Township, resurfacing of Eggerts Crossing Road, between Route 206 and the Ewing Township border, is expected to be completed by the end of this week, Mr. Parvesse said.
One lane of traffic has been open on Eggerts Crossing Road during the project, which includes the installation of new crosswalks near Lawrence Intermediate School and Johnson Avenue.
Two additional road resurfacing projects — in the Kingsbrook and Twin Meadows single-family home developments — are not expected to require detours because they are in residential neighborhoods.
Ashleigh Drive and Registry Drive in the Kingsbrook development, off Cold Soil Road, are expected to be resurfaced beginning Monday, Sept. 14, Mr. Parvesse said. The work will take about a week.
Work on the resurfacing of Anthony Lane, Dorothea Terrace, Gary Court and Karena Drive in the Twin Meadows neighborhood, off Bunker Hill Road, will begin after the Kingsbrook project is completed, he said.
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