New Jersey Department of Transportation officials will inform residents and township officials about the latest developments regarding improvements to Cranbury Circle.
NJDOT officials have scheduled an in-person public information center from 6-8 p.m. July 20 at Cranbury’s Town Hall on 23 N Main St.
The Cranbury Circle intersection involves Route 130, Middlesex County Road 539 (North Main Street) and Cranbury Turnpike, as well as Wyckoff Mill Road.
“The state has been very cooperative and communicative regarding the Route 130 traffic circle proposed changes,” Township Committeewoman Evelyn Spann said. “We have active applicants on the circle that will be impacted by the changes and the state has worked with our traffic engineer and traffic and safety committee to share changes and feedback.”
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) first announced the multi-stage and years long project in 2020 for the development of plans and improvement to Cranbury Circle.
The improvements are designed to not only improve safety, but operations at the existing Cranbury Circle, which involves Route 130, North Main Street, South Main Street and Brickyard Road, state officials said.
NJDOT points to the significant traffic volumes, existing geometry of the circle, a high-speed limit on Route 130 and skewed roadway approaches as prime conditions for vehicle crashes that exceed statewide averages.
According to the DOT, the state agency has selected a preliminary preferred alternative (PPA), which would consist of four-leg signalized intersection with Brickyard Road realigned to intersect with North Main Street northbound at a proposed and separate signalized T-intersection that is southeast of Route 130 northbound.
At each of the four approaching roadways, there will be separate left turn lanes. There are deceleration lanes for right turns from Route 130 into the side streets, according to the DOT.
Additional improvements include stripped crosswalks across all intersection approaches, curb ramps and sidewalks connecting each crossing, compatibility with pedestrians and bicycles and a detention basin, according to the DOT.
Staged construction along Route 130 will take place for the proposed construction of the newly signalized intersection.
The NJDOT projected timeline: preliminary engineering between 2023-2025, final design between 2025-2027 and construction in 2027-2029.