PRINCETON: Officials want bridge replaced

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
   The Alexander Road bridge over the Stony Brook needs to be replaced before the state Department of Transportation makes the jughandles traffic pattern changes on Route 1 permanent, township officials have said.
   The township plans to put that request in writing to DOT Commissioner and Princeton resident James S. Simpson, also seeking to have borough and Princeton University officials join them in the appeal. Officials have said buses or other large vehicles cannot simultaneously cross the narrow two-lane bridge.
   Township Committeeman Bernard P. Miller said Tuesday that the bridge has a 20-foot “cartway” or roadway that is divided into two roughly 10-foot-wide lanes of traffic in both directions. He said the bridge is not “adequate” to accommodate large vehicles.
   That problem was illustrated in a photograph that the township released this week of a Princeton University TigerTransit bus crossing the bridge driving on the center dividing line.
   The issue about the bridge has been a concern before, but more so now with an experiment by the DOT to prevent motorists travelling Route 1 northbound from making left or U-turns at Washington Road and Harrison Street in West Windsor. The 12-week test, having started in early August, aims to improve traffic flow on Route 1.
   But as a result, Alexander Road is the only way to get into Princeton for those motorists without them making a U-turn at the Scudders Mill Road interchange. Township Engineer Robert V. Kiser said Tuesday that he suspects DOT data will show that traffic has increased on Alexander Road.
   Kristin S. Appelget, director of community and regional affairs at Princeton University, said Wednesday that the school shares the town’s concerns about the bridge. She said fears about increased traffic flow on Alexander Road are being realized.For his part, Mr. Simpson urged the township to hold off sending the letter. He said Wednesday that the state would assess the data from experiment to look at the benefits accruing to Route 1 and the “unintended negative consequences.”
   ”Hold the horses,” he said in urging officials to let the trial run its course. Replacing the bridge would take a few years, given the planning and regulatory steps involved. Mr. Kiser said the state would have to approve using protected parkland for right- of-way purposes and also because the bridge is in an historic district.
   Township Mayor Chad Goerner said Tuesday that the bridge was meant to be temporary, but that was around 20 years ago.
   Julie Willmot, county spokeswoman, on Wednesday provided a list of things that need to take place, including the township getting the “sufficient” right of way.
   ”Based on this timeline, the estimate is that bridge replacement would not begin until 2016,” she wrote.
   She said the estimated construction cost would be $2.5 million.