Legislation pending in Trenton could make finding a space at the train station much easier during off-peak hours. A bill that would allow parking in permit spaces during evenings and weekends is now awaiting signing by Governor Christie.
Vacant permit parking spaces at train station lots operated by NJ Transit would be available for general public use during off-peak times, which are defined as 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
Andrew Lupo, chairman of the West Windsor Parking Authority, is unsure if the WWPA should back the legislation, citing shift workers who work during off-peak hours as an example. “We want to make sure there is a space available for every permit holder, and we want to figure out the best way to police it for them,” he said.
The 930 parking spaces West Windsor Township owns would not be affected by the bill, but spaces owned by NJ Transit could be used for off-peak parking. These would include Station Drive’s 840 spaces, Vaughn Drive’s combined 1,419 spaces, and Wallace Road’s 366 spaces.
New South Lot Update. During the council meeting on January 17, Councilman George Borek reported that the WWPA plans to go before council to seek $6 million in bonds for the project. Borek, who attended the WWPA’s reorganization meeting, said that “bids for the project should go out at the end of March, and they are estimating a completion date with the lot being utilized by January of 2013.”
Changes at Route 1 Jughandles. Motorists looking to make left or U-turns from Route 1 onto Washington Road or Harrison Street will soon have restrictions imposed — at least temporarily. The Department of Transportation will host a meeting to discuss the changes at the West Windsor municipal building on Tuesday, January 24, from 5 to 8 p.m.
With the changes, Route 1 northbound traffic will not be allowed to make left turns and U-turns at the Washington Road intersection. Also, northbound motorists will not be able to make left or U-turns at Harrison Street.
While no timeline was announced for the eight-week pilot program, the DOT’s goal is to stop the buildup of traffic during peak hours (morning and evening commutes) ahead of the May 22 opening of the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro.
Wallace Road Construction Continues. There’s no relief promised soon for Wallace Road. Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh says that once the current sewer repair work is completed (estimated at four to five months) reconstruction of the entire roadway will commence starting this summer.
At the council meeting on January 17 Township Engineer Francis Guzik said that the break occurred approximately 50 feet from the nearest manhole, but that “all the debris that had fallen into the hole basically clogged up another 350 feet of pipe. From our televising the line a second break was discovered, and that break is in the process of being repaired. What will go in between the manhole and the first break is approximately 50 feet of new PVC pipe,” Guzik said.
But “there are some concerns that there will be a need to re-line from the manhole to 571, basically taking care of the whole sewer line,” Guzik said. The to-date cost of the repair was well over $100,000 and the total is expected to be in the $400,000 range.
