By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Work on the long-awaited Canal Pointe Boulevard road reconstruction project in West Windsor Township has begun, starting with the removal of the ash trees that line the roadway., Many of the ash trees have been affected by the emerald ash borer insect, and township officials were planning to cut them down as part of the township-wide ash tree removal project., Once the ash trees have been cut down on Canal Pointe Boulevard, the contractor will tackle the road reconstruction project. It will take about four months to complete, depending on weather conditions., S Brothers General Contractors, Inc., was awarded a $1.4 million contract for the Canal Pointe Boulevard project by Township Council in December 2016. It was the lowest responsible bidder from among 11 companies that sought the job., The contractor will remove the top two inches of asphalt and put down new asphalt on Canal Pointe Boulevard, between Alexander Road and Meadow Road. The curbs, sidewalks and handicap ramps will be reconstructed., The project includes also pedestrian-safety measures. A pedestrian-activated warning system will be installed at each of the four crosswalks – Heritage Boulevard East, Heritage Boulevard West, Carillon Boulevard and Mayfair Drive. It features flashing yellow lights to alert motorists that a pedestrian wants to walk across the street., The project also calls for Canal Pointe Boulevard to be put on a “diet,” which will reduce the present four-lane roadway – two lanes in each direction – to one lane in each direction. A bike lane will be installed on both sides of the street., There will be a center lane for left turns into the residential developments on one side of the street and into the office parks on the opposite side of the street., The road diet, which reduces the number of lanes, aims to improve safety and slow down cars that use Canal Pointe Boulevard as an alternative to Route 1. It is a recognized traffic safety measure, from the federal to state to county levels, township officials said., The decision to go ahead with the road diet grew out of several studies conducted over the years, beginning with a grant-funded study by the state Department of Transportation in 2004., The latest study, conducted in 2015 by the Burns Group, recommended one 10-foot-wide lane in each direction, a 12-foot-wide center lane for left turns and a 6-foot-wide bicycle lane on each side of the street., The goal of the study, which was originally conducted in 2008 and later updated, was to evaluate the existing and future conditions on Canal Pointe Boulevard. It was also intended to determine if any modifications to the roadway should be recommended to better serve all users.
