By: centraljersey.com
A proposal from the state Department of Transportation to narrow the traffic from Route 1 into Princeton Township is causing concern among the group of local officials trying to negotiate as a bloc with the DOT.
In its mission to improve traffic flow along the heavily traveled highway, the DOT has floated the idea of preventing northbound drivers on Route 1 from taking left-hand turns at Harrison Street and Washington Road, effectively funneling that traffic onto Alexander Road, DOT spokesperson Joe Dee confirmed.
A group made up of the mayors of the Princetons, West Windsor, Plainsboro, Lawrence and South Brunswick sent DOT Commissioner James Simpson a letter Oct. 19 asking him, among other things, to look at traffic data before making a decision on the proposal to close those lanes.
"We also would like to put forth other Route One congestion relief concepts that may have less impact on local roads," the letter said.
West Windsor Mayor Shing-fu Hsueh said he got the mayors together nearly two years ago because he thought after decades with few improvements to the highway the towns would be more effective negotiating with the DOT together.
Mayor Hsueh said in preliminary talks with Mr. Simpson, the DOT has told the mayors there is little funding to work on Route 1, but they hope to make some improvements, including the jughandle closures.
The closures bear the designation of "interim" improvements, but as the next step would be the over $190 million Penn’s Neck improvement project that has no funding, they would be likely to remain for a long time, Mr. Dee acknowledged.
Many of the coalitions’ mayors said they were in favor of carefully examining any way to improve traffic on the highway.
Lawrence Mayor Michael Powers said he agreed the issue needs to be studied, but that he’s generally in favor of those kinds of improvements. Similar initiatives have been effective in Lawrence, he said.
"Anything that will make traffic move more rapidly through the Route 1 corridor, as mayor of Lawrence Township, I’m supportive of that," Mayor Powers said. "When you have a traffic delay (on Route 1) it just has a ripple effect throughout the region."

