Summer is in full swing, and road construction projects are moving forward.
Improvements to the Route 571 intersection with Cranbury and Wallace roads as well as the repaving of Washington Road between Route 1 and the Princeton border has begun already, and Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh says that officials are anticipating beginning work on the Alexander Road s-curve later in the summer.
With the state Department of Transportation working at the Route 571 and Cranbury and Wallace roads, drivers in the area could see construction crews measuring the roads and digging on Wallace Road.
The intersection has been redesigned with new pedestrian-friendly crossings, as part of an agreement with the state, county, and township. It also includes crosswalks in every direction, countdown timers on traffic lights, and a dedicated left turn lane coming off of the bridge eastbound, turning onto Cranbury Road.
The state has approved using the eastbound side of the Route 571 bridge as a pedestrian crossing with a sidewalk on the other side, leading to Station Drive and a crosswalk to get to the sidewalk on the south side of Washington Road.
“At some point, there might be some partial closings,” said Hsueh. “We will definitely work to avoid the traffic hours.” He said the township has not yet received a clear timeline from the DOT.
Work on the s-curve is scheduled to begin in the later part of the summer, Hsueh said. Earlier this month, the Township Council approved an amendment to the existing contract with the engineers for the project. The council approved an additional $5,125 to the township’s contract with Remington & Vernick Engineers of Haddonfield, which submitted a proposal last month for additional professional engineering services. The total revised contract, originally approved in 2008, is worth $66,070.
The project at the time included widening the road to 38 feet, with one lane of travel and a five-foot bike path in each direction. Features of the new road included elevation of the roadway to create a banking effect, use of high friction pavement, and improved striping and signage. The estimated cost of the project is about $500,000, with $190,000 in funding from a DOT grant.
