Editor’s note: As of 4:15 p.m. Sept. 2, Cherry Valley, Princeton Kingston, Alexander, Washington and Rosedale roads in Princeton were reopened.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida dumped several inches of rain on Mercer County, resulting in flooding as the Stony Brook, Little Bear Brook, the Shabakunk Creek and the Delaware & Raritan Canal overflowed their banks Sept. 1.
Princeton, Lawrence Township, West Windsor and Montgomery were severely affected by flooding in a repeat performance of flooding caused Aug. 22 by Tropical Storm Henri.
Motorists were forced to follow detours after police set up barricades and cones to prevent them from driving onto flooded roadways. Police and first responders answered numerous calls to pluck stranded motorists from their vehicles despite warnings, according to Nixle alerts.
“Numerous roadways are flooded and several motorists have already lost their vehicles and are being rescued from the flood. The roads are too dangerous and emergency personnel are being spread very thin. The risk to property and life is too great,” one Nixle alert said.
In Princeton, Quaker Road, Rosedale Road, Mercer Road, Stockton Street (Route 206), South Harrison Street, Washington Road and Alexander Road were closed at times overnight between Sept. 1 and 2.
Police and first responders were called out numerous times to rescue motorists whose cars were stranded in deep water, including some who tried to drive on Rosedale Road – which crosses Stony Brook – in Princeton. At least one motorist was stuck on the flooded road near General Johnson Drive, which leads into the Johnson Park School, according to reports.
Princeton police set up a barricade on South Harrison Street at Faculty Road because the road was flooded on the West Windsor side of the Harrison Street bridge over Carnegie Lake.
A Montgomery Township EMS ambulance, on its way to Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center on Route 1, drove around the barricade and onto the Harrison Street bridge. The ambulance turned around and drove back across the bridge because of the deep standing water on the West Windsor side of South Harrison, according to personal observation.
Traffic moved at a snail’s pace on Washington Road and over the bridge at Carnegie Lake during the morning commute. Some motorists turned onto Faculty Road to cross the Harrison Street bridge, only to be turned back when they encountered traffic cones at South Harrison Street.
In Lawrence Township, Route 1/Brunswick Pike was flooded when the Delaware & Raritan Canal overflowed its banks. The four-lane highway was closed between Darrah Lane and Quakerbridge Road. All ramps from I-295 onto Route 1/Brunswick Pike were closed.
Portions of Princeton Pike also were closed – between Devon Avenue and Graf Avenue, and between Stonicker Drive and Franklin Corner Road.
Another section of Princeton Pike was closed between Lewisville Road and Province Line Road.
Franklin Corner Road was closed between Princess Road and Route 1/Brunswick Pike.
Cold Soil Road, between Bergen Street and Society Way, was closed, and Lawrence Road/Route 206 was closed near Notre Dame High School.
West Windsor was severely impacted by flooding when the Little Bear Brook overflowed, shutting down Washington Road near the Eve Kraft Tennis Center, and also Alexander Road between Roszel Drive and Vaughn Drive.
Route 1 south, near Buffalo Wild Wings, was reduced to one lane.
Fallen trees and downed power lines also closed some roads briefly, including Canal Pointe Boulevard near Meadow Road, and Washington Road between Route 1 south and Faculty Road during the height of the storm on Sept. 1.
In Montgomery, the town “experienced an unprecedented rapid accumulation of water volume that resulted in widespread flooding. Please do not drive around barricades or cones and into standing water,” the Montgomery Township Police Department said.
Nevertheless, Montgomery Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 conducted numerous successful water rescues overnight after motorists drove onto flooded roads and became stuck, according to its Facebook post.
The Great Road/Route 601 was closed between Route 518 and Montgomery High School because of flooding, and Burnt Hill Road was closed between Skillman Road and the Montgomery Lower Middle School, Nixle reports said.
Route 518 was closed at Spring Hill Road, and Sunset Road was closed at Burnt Hill Road.
River Road was closed at the causeway, and there was flooding on Route 206 in front of the Montgomery Township Municipal Building.