An open house to explain the pending Alexander Road bridge replacement projects has been set for Sept. 25 at Monument Hall in Princeton.
Monument Hall is the former Princeton Borough municipal building at the intersection of Bayard Lane, Stockton Street and Nassau Street.
The public information center, sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the main meeting room. A representative will be on hand to explain the project, which begins Nov. 6 and is expected to be wrapped up in April 2020.
Another public information center, also held by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, has been set for Sept. 24 at the West Windsor Township municipal building at 271 Clarksville Road for West Windsor Township residents. It will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The bridge, which crosses the Delaware and Raritan Canal, is located on the border of the Municipality of Princeton and West Windsor Township. The narrow span, which was built in 1948, is being replaced because it is in poor condition.
The new bridge will have two 12-foot-wide travel lanes, two 5-foot-wide shoulders and two 5-foot-wide timber pedestrian walkways. The existing bridge is one lane in each direction, with no shoulder. There is one 6-foot-wide timber pedestrian walkway.
Mercer County officials are simultaneously replacing the adjacent, county-maintained bridges that cross over Stony Brook and Alexander Creek. Mercer County representatives will be available at the Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 sessions.
The bridge replacement projects mean Alexander Road will be closed from Nov. 6 through April 2020. In Princeton, motorists will be detoured to Faculty Road and then to County Route 571/Washington Road to reach U.S. 1.
The projects are being timed to avoid conflicts with state environmental regulations. Work on the bridges is banned between May 1 and July 31 to protect warm water fish in Stony Brook and Alexander Creek to prevent sediment from washing into the two bodies of water.
Also, trees that are at least six inches in diameter at breast height may not be cut down between April 1 and Sept. 30 because of the presence of the Indiana bat. The bat is listed as a federal endangered species.
Although Alexander Road into and out of Princeton will be closed during the holiday season, Mayor Liz Lempert emphasized that “Princeton (will be) open for business.” Holiday events and activities will go on as planned.
Mayor Lempert said employers are being urged to allow telecommuting and flextime for employees in order to minimize rush hour traffic impacts. Princeton residents are being encouraged to use the Dinky to reach the Princeton Junction train station.