Politics & Government

Mercer County Activates New Traffic Signal

The new traffic light is located at the intersection of Calhoun Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Princeton Avenue in Trenton, not far from the Lawrence Township border.

Editor's Note: The following news release was issued by the Mercer County administration.

After careful planning and design, improvements at the intersection of Calhoun Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Princeton Avenue in the City of Trenton have been completed, and a new traffic signal, which was part of the overall improvements, was activated last week.

“We are constantly looking at infrastructure improvements along with the freeholder board, and we always try to maximize our state and federal aid,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes. “This particular intersection is one we had targeted for improvements for some time, and motorists and pedestrians in this area have expressed their satisfaction with these upgrades.”

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At this busy intersection, numerous crashes have occurred and the flow of traffic was deficient. The intersection was originally proposed to be realigned; however, after several meetings with local residents and business owners, the initial design concept was modified to retain the same general alignment in order to preserve access and on-street parking. 

The accepted design makes it easier for large trucks to turn onto Princeton Avenue from Calhoun Street, which was a significant concern raised during the planning stages of the project. 

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The project was completed by Orchard Holdings at a total bid cost of $204,965.  Mercer County received a $50,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation Division of Local Aid and Economic Development for the work.  The remaining cost was funded through Mercer County’s capital improvement program. 

In addition to installation of a traffic signal, improvements included replacement of existing curb and sidewalk, and construction of a median island for safer pedestrian crossings.  The intersection was also milled and resurfaced.  This project is the final one in a group of five that commenced in fall 2011. Those included:

Upgrades at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Chestnut Avenue in Trenton and at East State Street and Whitehead Road in Hamilton; Olden Avenue and Parkside Avenue in Ewing, and Olden Avenue and Prospect Street in Ewing.


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