In a meeting held at DOT Headquarters in Ewing on Monday, August 21, New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri said upgrades to the Harrison Street-Route 1 intersection will take until 2012 to complete. The cost, originally estimated at $68 million, is now estimated at $270 million.
Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu and West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh were both part of the public meeting, since the proposed changes are for locations in West Windsor, and since the reason for the changes is a proposed relocation of the University Medical Center at Princeton to Plainsboro.
The meeting was called by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton Borough) in response to concerns raised by Princeton Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman and Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand. The mayors’ concerns center around Princeton residents having difficulty accessing the Hospital due to snarled traffic conditions around the Route 1 intersections.
The proposed changes are intended to eliminate traffic lights at Washington Road, Harrison Street, and Fisher Place, improving flow through the area, which will certainly be heavier if a hospital and medical offices are constructed on Route 1.
Kolluri, a West Windsor resident, says the DOT is proposing dropping Route 1 so it passes under Washington. The plan includes building an overpass at Harrison Street.
Though the hospital’s relocation to Plainsboro is not yet official, PHCS Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Pam Hersh said they are optimistic they will receive all necessary approvals and break ground in 2007 at the FMC Corp. site on Route 1. She said the hospital could open as early as 2010.
