DOT: Jughandle Pilot Will Continue
DOT Spokesman says issues are being addressed, but no problems are so big they would end the pilot program.
Despite Assemblyman Reed Gusciora’s call on Tuesday to end the Route 1 jughandle closure pilot program, a NJ DOT spokesman said there are no plans to do so.
In a letter sent to NJ DOT Commissioner James Simpson, Gusciora said the 12-week pilot program to close the jughandles at the intersections of Route 1/Washington Road and Route 1/ Harrison Street has led to more illegal U-Turns and K-Turns in West Windsor’s Penns Neck neighborhood and lower sales at the Getty and Sunoco gas stations.
“I understand DOT’s efforts to improve traffic, but it should not be at the expense of local residents,” said Gusciora, who represents West Windsor in District 15.
NJ DOT Spokesman Joe Dee said DOT appreciates Gusciora’s input, but that the jughandle pilot program will continue.
“We have not seen anything that would stop this pilot program in its tracks,” Dee said. “We promised if there were unintended consequences so severe that it needed to be stopped we would, but we’re not seeing that. We need to give people more time to adjust their routes.”
State officials are trying to address the problems in Penns Neck. Representatives have met with residents and officials and installed more signs along Route 1 and stationed state police in the area.
“Clearly, this is a problem area for these residents and we are very concerned about it,” Dee said. “We're doing everything we can to get motorists to follow the posted routes. We’re adding signs to guide people through Washington Road so they understand the way to do it is to go up to Scudders Mill Road and turn around.”
State police recently began issuing warnings to drivers who don’t obey traffic rules and will soon begin write citations, Dee said.
Closing the jughandles was done to improve travel times along Route 1 and that has been working, Dee said. In addition, traffic along Route 1 north no longer loses a lane during rush hour traffic due to drivers queuing up to turn left at Washington Road and Harrison Street. Dee said traffic signal along Route 1 have been extended and fears that Route 1 south would become too congested north of Harrison Street have proved unfounded.
Dee encourages drivers to experiment to find the best commuter routes. For example, if Alexander Road into Princeton seems too congested, drivers can turn north on Route 1, turn around at Scudder’s Mill and then take Washington or Harrison into Princeton.
“Where we’ve done this elsewhere in the state, this is a way to solve congestion and safety on our highways and it works,” Dee said. “But it does take time for people to learn new routes."
DOT officials want your feedback about the jughandle closures. Here's how you can contact state officials:
- Submit your feedback online.
- Write to: Commissioner James Simpson, New Jersey Department of Transportation, David J. Goldberg Transportation Complex, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08625
- Call the commissioner's office at 609.530.3536
Princeton officials also want to hear about your experience with the jughandle closures. Click here to submit your feedback online.
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Mike
10:53 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
This was all one PR scheme to get what DOT wanted. How can you say its working when traffic is backed all the way to the Hyatt on Alexander road. These are not people that would take Princeton Pike as they are coming out of the south not the north. The change of light timing has caused a huge backup on Washington road, people going to Alexander road are taking over 40 minutes to get into Princeton and notice the spotters are gone?
And to make matters worse, when PU puts that circle in near WAWA, its going to be worse.
We were played, this was not a trial it was a set in stone 6 months ago.
Happy that Reed is looking into it, time to get the Governor involved !
Dan Daman
1:48 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
I agree. This has been lousy on people traveling to/from Princeton. A huge waste of productive time and gasoline from hundreds of manhours wasted idling in traffic each day. Problem has been exacerbated by a) more of the buses that run to/from Canal Pointe Rd. stop to get over the Alexander Rd. bridge, and b) the bridge on Quaker Road over the canal is out as well.
.
This is a reminder to all the NIMBY's who are against new road construction, but then complain when they can't go where they want to conveniently in their automobiles.
John V
2:48 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Overpasses are the long term solution to this problem. It is time for the intersections at route 1 to evolve into the appropriate configuration that can handle all the traffic. I realize that there is an issue with historic properties but they can be relocated to another area. We need to stop treating the real issue of traffic with band-aids. The Washington Road intersection has been a mess for decades. I applaud the DOT for there attempt at resolving this issue, although it is not the right solution at least it has opened our eyes to the fact that something must be done.
If ever there was justification for the government to invoke the rule of "imminent domain" this is it and build the overpass that this intersection requires.
Ed Percarpio
4:31 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
The "pilot program" was just a way to appease the public. This was always a foregone conclusion on the part of the DOT. Traffic circles as used all throughout Europe is the least expensive, most sensible solution for this. The traffic always moves.
John V
9:24 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Traffic Circles may have worked in the 1950's but are an antiquated and inefficient way to manage traffic flow. Yes they are used around Europe but to what end? Cities like London and Paris have obscene traffic issues during peak times. Looking to old world resolutions for modern day problems is not the solution in this case. Why is everyone so afraid to tackle what ultimately solve this issue?
The overpasses at Forestall Village are a perfect example of how elegantly the issue at the Washington/Rt 1 intersection can be resolved.
Ed Percarpio
8:42 am on Sunday, September 23, 2012
comparing Washington Road to downtown Paris or Rome is absurd. I spend a lot of time in Europe and the circles keep traffic moving efficiently and are inexpensive to implement. No one is afraid to build more overpasses, they are simply too costly to justfiy when a simple solution works. Typical American response to find a solution looking for a problem.
Susan Parris
10:37 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
In spite of the fact that it would probably take 20 years to resolve the very expensive legal and archaeological review issues of relocating a National Historic Site cemetery, and the equally expensive protracted battles of condemning a neighborhood (btw it's "eminent domain" not "imminent domain") an overpass at Washington Rd. is too close to the overpass at Alexander Rd. - the on/off ramps would overlap. The "overpass at Washington Rd." ship sailed long ago and the plan, if refunded, is for an overpass at Harrison St. I don't why anyone would think that trashing an historic graveyard and a thriving neighborhood is an "elegant" solution. There are real workable solutions that will benefit everyone.
Sharon Waters
8:39 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012
The NJDOT website says "If the left-turn restrictions do not reduce congestion on Route 1 or create unacceptable impacts on local roads, NJDOT will terminate the trial and restore all traffic movements." I would like them to be clear on what they consider unacceptable - the current situation is certainly unacceptable to most Princeton Junction residents. What criteria are they using?They claimed that "NJDOT will collect traffic volume and trip-time data at numerous locations in Princeton Township, Princeton Borough, West Windsor and Plainsboro prior to and during the trial period to evaluate the impacts of the restrictions.' What data are they collecting and what results would cause them to stop the pilot and/or call the experiment a failure?
Ed Percarpio
8:43 am on Sunday, September 23, 2012
As I said, the "trial" is a farce- it is a foregone conclusion. Look at every DOT response to the criticism from the public. Their minds were made up a long time ago- better get used to it.
Susan Parris
8:54 am on Sunday, September 23, 2012
A growing number of people, including elected officials, now believe that the Rt. 1 pilot project is simply a special favor to a private interest in Plainsboro. The recent Princeton Packet article with the Plainsboro Business Administrator pretty much spilled the beans and confirmed everyone's suspicions. Therefore, NJDOT will never back off and will find data to fit the agenda. The project violates almost every principle of the Penns Neck EIS as well as all standards of sound regional traffic management. The only hope is that the Legislature or a media outlet will take this seriously and investigate.
SHSB
1:44 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
Do you have alink to the article you reference? I would love to read it.
Susan Parris
4:30 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
This is the link http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2012/09/17/the_princeton_packet/news/doc5057865083bdb161821276.txt