As construction on Town Center continues, area planners are working to reach an agreement that will allow Route 33 from Washington Boulevard to Robbinsville-Edinburg Road to become Main Street.
By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON As construction on Town Center continues, area planners are working to reach an agreement that will allow Route 33 from Washington Boulevard to Robbinsville-Edinburg Road to become Main Street.
After the township’s Access Management Plan seemed ready for a public hearing late last year, officials from Hamilton Township reportedly raised concerns about the project’s impact on their municipality.
"They brought up some very significant issues very late in the process," said John Jennings, supervising planner with the state Department of Transportation.
Mr. Jennings said Hamilton officials thought their concerns were not being addressed.
Bob Melvin, Washington’s planner, said the approval process was halted while the townships worked out details on the proposed southerly bypass road that would connect Route 33 from the intersection with Washington Boulevard to Route 130 near South Gold Drive.
The road, half of which would be in Hamilton, is considered a necessity so Washington can reduce speeds on Route 33 through Town Center for its Main Street.
Hamilton officials referred questions on the bypass to Director of Planning Lloyd Jacobs, who was unavailable for comment.
Hamilton’s concerns were focused on the intersection of Washington Boulevard with Route 33, Mr. Melvin said.
"We were always trying to make the intersection smaller," Mr. Melvin said. Township officials are hoping to make the area pedestrian-friendly, in keeping with the theme of its Town Center, a planned mix of residential and commercial uses. The center also will include numerous parks and two lakes.
Hamilton officials, he said, wanted an extra lane at the intersection so traffic would not back up at the traffic light, blocking the entrance to some Hamilton businesses.
"What we decided to do was to put a park in the middle of it," Mr. Melvin said.
A 100-foot park sits in the middle of the intersection on the township’s current schematics, serving as a sort of glorified traffic island for pedestrians. Typically, these devices are 10 to 15 feet wide, Mr. Melvin said.
"Now, we’ve been able to add lanes to it without the pedestrian really knowing it," Mr. Melvin said. "It becomes a three-dimensional gateway that allows people to linger in that space."
Hamilton officials seemed pleased with the updated plans, Mr. Melvin said.
He said he envisions the space as an entrance-way into Hamilton, Town Center, Foxmoor, and the southerly bypass, which may become known as an alternate Route 33.
Mr. Melvin said DOT officials recommended Hamilton and Washington enter a memoranda of agreement with Mercer County and the DOT before the project proceeds.
The memoranda method will replace the original approval path through the Access Management Plan public hearing.
Mr. Jennings said the change in approval process will not delay the project, but will speed up the procedure.
"This is facilitating the process rather than slowing it down," he said.
He said if all parties enter the agreement by June, DOT will be able to begin the 18- to 24-month design process this summer. The road should be at least under construction, if not complete, by 2005, he said.
Mr. Jennings said although a public hearing is not a part of the memoranda process, public input will be sought at the discretion of the DOT project manager, who will be assigned after the memoranda of agreement is official.
The southerly bypass itself will be one lane in each direction, with a 5-foot paved shoulder and a 5-foot grass area, Mr. Melvin said. Officials last year said the speed limit likely would be about 40 mph.
Mr. Melvin said he sent the revised plans for the intersection to the DOT about two months ago, and was scheduled to meet with DOT officials this week.