Penns Neck Bypass Endorsement Is Offered With Some Hesitation

Matthew Hersh

Princeton Township Committee has decided to accept and endorse a $65 million road realignment project by the New Jersey Department of Transportation designed to alleviate traffic flow along the Penns Neck portion of the Route 1 corridor.

The Penns Neck Bypass, formerly known as the Millstone Bypass, consists of an overhaul of the traffic light system along the area of Penns Neck and creates a Washington Road underpass at Route 1 and frontage roads on the east and west sides of the highway that travel between Washington Road and Harrison Street.

The plan is in concert with DOT's long term goal of removing all lights on Route 1 between Trenton and New Brunswick.

Township Committee voted to endorse the plan, but Committeeman Bernie Miller, the lone dissenter in that vote, said that while the DOT's latest "D2A" plan improves on past proposals, it would not work to improve traffic in Princeton.

"As I see it, none of the alternatives are really beneficial to Princeton Township," Mr. Miller said. "None of the alternatives divert the traffic away from our neighborhood streets."

In the past, concerns had been raised that increasing accessibility to Route 1 from Princeton would encourage trucks and other vehicles to cut through town using Harrison Street as a connector between Route 206 and Route 1.

Mr. Miller said he did not feel comfortable voting in favor of the "least worst" DOT plan. Specifically, he expressed concern regarding the so-called "Westside connector" that redirects drivers on Harrison Street through 23 acres of frontage roads along Route 1 through Princeton University-owned land in West Windsor.

"I think that this road is unnecessary and will only speed up traffic and perhaps it's an expenditure that could be put to better use for other purposes," he said.

However, Deputy Mayor Bill Enslin said that removing that accessibility would only exacerbate traffic along Washington Road, which enters Princeton in the heart of the downtown area.

"Traffic is like water, it seeks its own outlets, so it's important to get people where they need to go as directly as possible without meandering through the community," he said.

Mr. Enslin added that more east-west connectors would help keep traffic away from the region. He cited the controversial Route 92, which, if built, would connect the New Jersey Turnpike with Route 1 in South Brunswick. Those driving on Route 206 would not have to come through Princeton to get to the Turnpike if there were a Route 92, he said.

Mr. Enslin said that while all of the DOT proposals have had both benefits and pitfalls, the current plan represents "a good approach for the Princeton community."

Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand agreed, saying the DOT plan was a "regional attempt" at a plan that would not only physically impact the surrounding municipalities, but also the principal lands involved, which include those owned by the University, Eden Institute, and the Sarnoff Center.

"I think for our town and community, [the plan] is probably a good thing," she said. She did, however, say that she understood why Mr. Miller would vote against the endorsement, but noted that the current proposal was widely accepted at a recent West Windsor meeting involving all principals.

"[The plan] will never be ideal, the only ideal situation is to have people not drive their cars and to have much better transportation to all parts of the community," she said.

In February, DOT Assistant Commissioner Howard Zahn said that after utility and right-of-way costs are accounted for, the price of the project could balloon to $130 million, double the current estimate. Mr. Zahn also emphasized that the project is too big to be built at once. He announced a "phased" construction, adding that it's doubtful any road improvements will occur within 10 years.