Meeting scheduled to discuss options for easing congestion
By: Hilary Parker
The state Commissioner of Transportation, Kris Kolluri, will meet Monday with a number of stakeholders to discuss the traffic implications of the proposed relocation of Princeton Healthcare System’s University Medical Center at Princeton to the 160-acre FMC Corp. property in Plainsboro.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton) organized the meeting in response to requests made by Princeton Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman and Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand. In addition to the Princeton mayors, representatives from Plainsboro, West Windsor, Princeton University and Princeton HealthCare System have been invited to attend.
"I wanted to be sure that there would be easy and safe vehicular access for residents coming from Princeton Township and Princeton Borough" and from other surrounding areas, Mayor Marchand said of her request for the meeting.
Pointing out that the already-troublesome intersection between Harrison Street and Route 1 will receive increased traffic after the hospital’s move, Mayor Marchand said one major topic of discussion will be to consider various approaches that might be taken to ease traffic congestion at that location.
While the intersection itself is located in West Windsor, the traffic that backs up along the approach to Route 1 greatly impacts the Princetons, Mayor Marchand said. As the DOT is scheduled to conduct work near the intersection soon, she expressed hope that there might be some way in which that project might be combined with making improvements to the Harrison Street intersection, given the immediacy of the need.
PHCS Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Pam Hersh agreed with Mayor Marchand’s suggestion, noting that repairs for the Route 1 bridge over the Millstone River are in the works. "The Harrison Street improvement that we had in mind would be simple (a turning lane and better signalization) and would not obviate the Penns Neck Bypass in any way," she said in an e-mail message.
"The bypass is the improvement the entire region really needs, but because of the considerable expense, it probably would not be completed for a decade or so. The Harrison Street intersection is already a ‘failed’ intersection in terms of traffic backup so everyone would benefit from an improvement to that intersection, even before the hospital moves to Route 1," she concluded.
"In general, I think the meeting is a positive meeting," Assemblyman Gusciora said. "We all want to be on the same page and make sure that all contingencies are addressed," he said, especially any problems that emergency vehicles might encounter en route from Princeton to the hospital."
The assemblyman acknowledged a need to discuss concerns that some have raised about the effect of the proposed hospital relocation on the DOT project slated to improve the Penns Neck area of Washington Road. Over two decades of controversy have surrounded proposals for improving traffic flow in the Penns Neck area.
Like other officials, Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu noted that much of Route 1 is desperately in need of improvements now, regardless of the hospital relocation. The improvements are especially pertinent, he said, given the state’s recently announced emphasis on economic development.
"It’s not isolated to the hospital" or to the Harrison Street intersection, he said of the traffic problems and needed improvements along the highway. "These are issues that transcend the hospital."
West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said he would like to see temporary improvements made to the Harrison Street intersection until the Penns Neck project is complete. Given that the hospital’s relocation will make the traffic situation along the east side of Route 1 "much, much worse," he said it is important for the DOT and the Federal Highway Administration to elevate the priority of the Penns Neck project. This includes the completion of an overpass from Harrison Street to the other side of Route 1, he said.
Late last year, PHCS announced its plans to purchase the FMC property and erect a $350-million facility including a 269-bed hospital, medical offices and replacement facilities for the Merwick Rehab Hospital & Nursing Care facility on one-third of the property.