Will extend north from Lewisville Road
Lea Kahn
Township Council has awarded a $169,455 contract to Della Pello Contracting Co. of Union for the construction of a 7,000-foot-long bicycle path along both sides of Princeton Pike.
The bicycle path will start on Princeton Pike at Lewisville Road, and it will end at the Princeton Township line. Lawrence Township received a $150,000 grant for the project from the state Department of Transportation last year. The township will pick up the rest of the tab.
A construction date has not been set.
Township Council awarded the contract to the company at its March 21 meeting. Della Pello Contracting Co. was one of eight bidders for the job. Municipal Engineer Christopher Budzinski had estimated the project at $189,068.
The plans call for widening the shoulder on Princeton Pike, Mr. Budzinski said. The shoulder will be widened by 4 feet on both sides of the road. It is not really a bicycle path, but it is intended for bicycles, he said, adding that it will not be physically separated from Princeton Pike.
This is a revised version of the original plan for which the township received DOT funding, Mr. Budzinski said. The original plan showed a bicycle path on one side of Princeton Pike and on one side of Province Line Road.
The earlier version called for the bicycle path to start on Princeton Pike at Meadow Road, on the east side of the road. It was to continue to the intersection of Princeton Pike and Province Line Road, Mr. Budzinski said.
The Province Line Road segment of the bicycle path was to have been constructed on the north side, along the frontage of The Enclave single-family-home subdivision. It was to have ended at the intersection of Province Line Road and Quakerbridge Road.
The plan was changed because the DOT was not happy with a bicycle path on one side of Princeton Pike. The DOT felt it would be better to have it on both sides of the street, for safety reasons, Mr. Budzinski said.
Also, there are physical constraints on Province Line Road, the engineer said. There are telephone poles close to the edge of the roadway.