Heavy equipment is out at the corner of Alexander and North Post roads, trees have been trimmed along the bridge crossing the Amtrak tracks, PSE&G utility lines are being rearranged, and work appears imminent for a new Alexander Road bridge that is expected to relieve the lengthy back-up that now plague rush hour commuters. But motorists shouldn’t expect relief anytime much sooner than 2008, and motorists who use the bridge now may find that traffic gets worse before it gets better.
While preliminary work has begun, the state Department of Transportation and Amtrak are still locked in a disagreement that will halt progress until it is resolved. The DOT owns the land surrounding the bridge, which spans the train tracks operated by Amtrak. The two companies cannot decide on which entity is responsible for liability during the construction project.
DOT spokesman Tim Greely said the issue could be resolved in September, clearing the way for the construction of a traffic circle at a site named one of the 15 most dangerous roadways in West Windsor. Once underway, the construction is expected to take 16 months to complete. The new bridge will provide for pedestrians and bicycles and will lead to a round-about (a mini-traffic circle with no traffic light) to funnel traffic on and off Alexander and North Post. Design and construction of the project are supported by State funds in the Capital Improvement Plan of the DOT.
Since the new bridge will be built adjacent to the existing bridge, traffic will not be disrupted during most of the construction period. But for one period of about six weeks, the old span will have to be closed — that’s when rush hour traffic will turn even uglier.
The township plans to reroute east bound traffic to Meadow Road, where it will then likely encounter another traffic jam at the intersection of Clarksville Road. That prospect already has attracted the attention of one West Windsor business owner, who hopes the township will be proactive in dealing with the traffic. Peter Dawson, owner of Leigh Photo and Imaging at 45 Everett Drive, sent an E-mail to Township engineer James Parvesse, asking if the township would consider installing a temporary traffic signal at the Clarksville Road intersection during the period when the Alexander overpass was totally closed.
The short answer: No. “Unfortunately,” replied Parvesse, “a temporary signal cannot be utilized at this location due to the existing roadway configuration. Even on a temporary basis, substantial road widening and improvements would be necessary to provide for a safe and efficient signalized intersection.”
That answer did not quite satisfy Dawson: “In an age when we can put men on the moon, I can’t believe that you are not able to put a temporary traffic signal at Meadow and Clarksville road,” Dawson countered in another E-mail. “I was hoping we could think out of the box and prevent what I am sure is going to be a major interruption to traffic flow for a six week plus period of time.”
Reached by phone by the News, Parvesse provided a longer explanation. A temporary light without the accompanying roadway improvements, he said, could actually make traffic worse. But other steps are possible, including multiple detours to spread the traffic around town.
Meanwhile, Parvesse noted, the township is making progress on its own roadway improvement project that will straighten, widen, and continue Meadow Road through the open fields behind the Carnegie Center all the way through to Clarksville. As part of that project roadway improvements, including a fully signalized intersection, will be made at the corner of Clarksville and Meadow.
The start of the Meadow Road improvement has its own red tape to hurdle, in the form of environmental permits to allow passage through a wetland. But those permits are expected shortly. Is it possible that the permanent improvements at Clarksville and Meadow could be finished in time to accommodate the temporary closing of Alexander Road? “It’s conceivable,” Parvesse said, but declined to make a firm prediction, noting that he would rather under-promise and over-deliver than the other way around.
