A coalition of local communities plan later this summer to present the state Department of Transportation with a proposal to widen a stretch Route 1.
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A coalition of local communities plan later this summer to present the state Department of Transportation with a proposal to widen a stretch Route 1.
The plan calls for adding an extra lane of traffic in both directions at a point from the Millstone River to Alexander Road, said West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh on Tuesday.
Other elements include having small lanes to make right turns on and off the highway at the various intersections, such as Harrison Street.
Mayor Shing said the project would stay within a $40 million budget that state Transportation Commissioner James S. Simpson set for how much the state would be willing to spend on any improvements.
”He said anywhere from $33 (million) to $40 (million). So that’s the barometers we have to live with,” the mayor said.
He said he anticipated having a meeting with the DOT at the end of July or in early August, a meeting that would include representatives of other communities impacted by Route 1, such as Princeton, Plainsboro, South Brunswick and Lawrenceville. Also included would be Princeton University and Stanford Research Institute and Princeton HealthCare Systems, all of which are landowners on Route 1.
He said he still is gathering comments on the proposal from all the different stakeholders. He said there would be another meeting of all of them within the next week or two before making the presentation to Mr. Simpson. The DOT declined to comment Tuesday on a proposal that it has not received.
”Would we welcome their input? Certainly,” said DOT spokesman Joe Dee.
Route 1 has been a source of frustration for commuters and municipal officials, the north-south highway that usually is choked with traffic in the morning and evening rush hour periods.
”When you get into South Brunswick, it is total gridlock on Route 1,” said South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese, who along with other mayors from the region attended an event Tuesday by the MidJersey Chamber of Commerce. “And if anybody is trying to go North Brunswick to West Windsor where the mayor lives, it’s going to take them a long time to get there.”
The state tried an experiment last year to close jughandles at Washington Road and Harrison Street, a trial the state pulled the plug on ahead of schedule after it led to traffic nightmares for residents of the Penns Neck section of West Windsor.
The state has not abandoned efforts to improve the situation, leading Mr. Simpson to release a concept earlier this year for road improvements.