After meeting with Princeton-area merchants and residents, the New Jersey Department of Transportation has announced it is deferring a pilot program to prohibit left turns at two Route 1 jughandles.
The program, which was designed to reduce congestion on Route 1 in the vicinity of the Washington Road and Harrison Street intersections, will start August 1, instead of mid-March.
The decision to defer the start of the pilot program followed two public meetings in West Windsor and Princeton Borough, as well as a recent meeting with members of the Princeton business community and other stakeholders.
”After meeting with Princeton business leaders, including David Newton, vice president of Palmer Square Management LLC and Jack Morrison, president of JM Group, where they discussed concerns about the potential impact of the pilot during a traditionally robust period for business, I believe that it is in the best interest of the community to move the pilot program to start August 1,” said NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson. “The concerns and suggestions of residents who raised logistical and other issues at two recent public meetings also contributed significantly to this decision.”
Deferring the pilot program provides time for NJDOT to address issues raised at the meetings and also allows motorists to settle into new traffic patterns that will accompany the May 22 opening of the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, is said in a press release.
The new hospital is located along Route 1 just north of the Harrison Street intersection. The existing hospital on Witherspoon Street in Princeton will close when the new one opens. Many trips are generated daily by the hospital’s 1,200 employees, as well as patients and visitors.
Hospital officials were consulted before the decision was reached to defer the pilot program, which is expected to benefit emergency vehicles as they travel to the hospital.
Peak-period congestion tends to decrease somewhat in summer months because it is a popular time to take vacations.

