By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said Tuesday the town had “too many reservations” to endorse the concept that DOT Commissioner James S. Simpson has floated for easing traffic on Route 1.
Mayor Lempert said officials are trying to figure out what the traffic implications of the state’s plan, one that calls for adding another lane of traffic, jughandles and other modifications to a stretch of the highway from the Dinky overpass to the Millstone River.
Mayor Lempert said the town is interested in working with the DOT and neighboring towns on a solution, although she made it clear that her community wants to maintain all three entry points Alexander and Washington Roads and Harrison Street from Route 1 into Princeton.
Mayor Lempert this week was supposed to send Mr. Simpson a letter expressing the town’s views.
During the council meeting Monday, she and the governing body discussed the Route 1 concept for widening the highway, adding jughandles and other proposed changes. The proposal has sparked debate among residents who live in the impacted area. Critics contend that the plan will not improve things.
Councilwoman Jo S. Butler expressed concern it would lead to increased traffic on Alexander Road mostly from northbound motorists. She said there is heavy traffic there already in the evenings, with the road backed up to Route 1.
Mr. Simpson has said that there is no money for the project, one that he recently projected costing around $40 million. A big chunk of the expense, around $10 million, is to pay for relocating utility lines, according to Princeton land use engineer Jack West.
Officials said they are interested in looking at data the DOT collected from the experiment last summer that closed the jughandles at Washington and Harrison.
A state lawmaker added his voice this week to the Route 1 project.
”I continue to have complete confidence that the DOT is engaging in the proper due diligence and that, with community input and participation, will go about analyzing their most recent Route 1 proposal in the best interests of the affected communities,” said Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli, R-16, on Tuesday. “If they do not, then it is the job of elected officials to actively engage.”

