To the Editor:

The DOT has declared the experiment at Route 1 and 571 a success in less than four days into the 12 week experiment. Those of you that had any high school science might remember that you were told to collect ALL of the data before writing the conclusion. Seems DOT may have limited the scope of data they were willing to review before reaching the conclusion or could it be they knew the conclusion they wanted?

Had they set up an experiment that not only looked at a single factor, the flow of traffic on Route 1, they might have noticed the secondary effects. There is now effectively only one way to get into Princeton while traveling north bound on US Route 1, Alexander Road. The traffic into Princeton west bound from Hightstown now backs up to the railroad bridge, resulting from the new signage at US Route 1. Tractor trailers coming southbound on US Route 1 and headed to Hightstown now have to use the Alexander Rd. exit off and cross 3 lanes of Alexander Rd. traffic in less than 50 yards to return to US Route 1, an accident waiting to happen. Numerous cars, trucks, and buses are making K turns along 571 to turn around and head for Princeton and Hightstown. The Scudders Mill Road bridge, already a nightmare at rush hour, has been asked to carry an additional load of those that missed Alexander Road while headed north on US Route 1. One concession in the experiment, reopening of the Harrison Road entrance to SRI, had to be made just to allow the employees to even get to work because of the log jam on 571.

I trust this is a shortened version of the problems that will be present when school reopens and the end of the reduced traffic during the summer vacations period is back upon us. I doubt that will change the conclusion of this experiment.

Had DOT looked a little deeper into the problem of traffic flow on US Route 1 north they might have found that the light at Carnegie Blvd. was to have been removed 25 years ago when the Meadow Road overpass was finished. To stop thousands of cars all day long for the convenience of a few wanting to cross US Route 1 makes little sense when compared to the short duration problem 571 presents during rush hour. Carnegie Blvd. should be a right turn only entrance to US Route 1 from both sides, forcing those wishing to cross to use the overpasses at Alexander or Meadow. SRI had agreed to work with the DOT. A lane could be provided along US Route 1 all across the front of SRI, similar to the entrance to Lowes and Carnegie Center, providing stacking for 50-plus cars waiting to cross US Route 1 at Harrison into Princeton. There is little reason to have wasted the money spent on the improvement at Harrison Street with this experiment on the drawing table.

My only hope is that this experiment has a greater “end game” in mind. The general inconvenience it has presented to the locals may in fact be the justification to get them to agree to the long talked about plans that would include the bypass to Harrison and an overpass at the circle. One can only hope that government could be that farsighted. If not, this shows the creativity of a preschool sandbox experiment.

Howard Eldridge

Mather Avenue