| ||||||||||||||||
|
Truck Weight Limits Imposed On a Township ThoroughfareMatthew HershAn ordinance was passed by the Township Committee that establishes a weight limit for trucks driving on the segment of Prospect Avenue located in the Township. The measure was in response to resident complaints regarding tractor-trailers driving along the throughway that connects Harrison Street with Route 27. Trucks were using Prospect Avenue to bypass the congested Route 27-Harrison Street intersection at busy times of the day, according to Township Engineer Robert Kiser. He added that more trucks have been using this route as a bypass since the start of sanitary sewer extension construction near Princeton-Kingston Road, or Route 27. However, the measure must now be approved by the New Jersey Department of Transportation because Prospect Avenue runs through both the Borough and the Township. Further, the DOT will have final say on the ordinance because Prospect Avenue connects with Route 27, which is a state highway. The new measure will be enforced by stationed patrol cars monitoring the road. Township Administrator James Pascale said that he will work with Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi to establish a companion bill to apply to the Borough section of Prospect Avenue. The issue of trucks using Township streets to bypass major intersections has posed problems in the past. The Department of Transportation recently intervened regarding trucks exiting Route 206 and using Harrison Street as a bypass to Route 1. Deputy Mayor Bill Enslin agreed with the ordinance and outlined the importance of keeping side streets as such. "The community is sensitive to using streets for through traffic," he said. | |||||||||||||||