A state-funded presentation on the troubled Route 206 corridor that runs through Princeton Borough and Township was once again greeted by a capacity crowd, some skepticism, and a lot of questions Monday night as residents and consultants grappled with how to contend with the road's many problems.
Another presentation will be held tomorrow, January 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Township Hall.
The $100,000 study, the result of a Princeton grassroots campaign known as "Citizens for a Safer Route 206," has thus far unearthed many problems, but few concrete solutions when it comes to dealing with congestion, speeding, and poor layout.
"There is no one-size-fits-all solution," said Raj Mohabeer, a planner with Glatting Jackson, the Orlando-based consulting firm working with the Princetons. Addressing the Monday evening session held at Township Hall, he added, "There are different answers for different areas."
And while this particular study -focuses only on the portion of 206 from Cherry Valley Road to Nassau Street, both Mr. Mohabeer and Glatting Jackson consultant Ian Lockwood acknowledged that the brunt of the problem is the fact that an increasing number of trucks are using 206 between I-287 in Somerville and I-95 in Lawrence to bypass toll roads. In fact, Princeton Future, a community-based group focused on in-town development, has dubbed that stretch of 206 as the "Montreal-to-Mobile Expressway."
Hillsborough's proposed freight-to-truck, or "Transload" facility," near Route 206, would only exacerbate the truck problem, Mr. Lockwood said.
With so many problems plaguing the roadway, which was repeatedly referred to as "hostile" Monday, Mr. Lockwood said the best way to deal with increased traffic was to simply slow it down.
The consultant pointed to several traffic-calming methods, including tree plantings, facing development toward the roadway and the use of roundabouts like the one employed by Princeton University on Faculty Road to ease conflict between through traffic and cars entering and exiting the parking hub on that end of campus.
Mr. Lockwood suggested that such methods could be used at cramped intersections like Ewing Street and 206.
The findings of the presentation were culled from a three-day consultation period in late November involving residents, Glatting Jackson, and the Philadelphia-based Urban Engineers, which is also engaged in the study. Throughout those sessions, residents put forth six main concerns, including the aforementioned truck traffic, speed control, "problematic intersections," completing pedestrian walkways, pedestrian barriers, and keeping 206 a two-lane road ("We think that's a good idea, said Mr. Lockwood).
Another point of concern for residents is the tricky and often dangerous pedestrian crossing on 206 and Nassau near Borough Hall. Mr. Lockwood suggested that pedestrian islands could be installed for safety, and that there be a pedestrian-only phase in the walk signals. While there were no definitive answers for that intersection, he added that "something's got to give" in terms of the design.
Mr. Lockwood said tomorrow's presentation will deliver "starter ideas" that could eventually be presented to the state's Department of Transportation. In the meantime, he added, Princetonians have to work with what they've got: "Manage, don't solve. There will always be congestion."