DOT Trial Program to Eliminate Left Turns from Route 1 North

A trial program that aims to increase safety and reduce traffic congestion on Route 1 northbound near Washington Road and Harrison Street in West Windsor is being scheduled for 2012, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

Under the trial program, which would be conducted for several months and then evaluated, left and U-turn movements for Route 1 northbound motorists at the Washington Road and Harrison Street jughandles would be eliminated.  The change is designed to prevent potentially dangerous queuing and congestion on the rightmost of three Route 1 northbound travel lanes in the vicinity of the two intersections.

When the trial is implemented, motorists would use either the grade-separated Alexander Road interchange just south of Washington Road to enter Princeton, or use the grade-separated interchange at Scudders Mill Road north of Harrison Street to make a U-turn onto Route 1 southbound for access to right turns into Princeton at either Harrison Street or Washington Road.

Eastbound and Westbound Washington Road motorists will continue to have all three existing travel options – to Route 1 south, to Route 1 north or through to remain on Washington Road – at the Route 1 intersection.

Eliminating left-turns and U-turns for Route 1 northbound traffic at the two jughandles has the potential to provide low-cost congestion relief, especially during peak periods.  The Department will assess traffic conditions on Route 1 and nearby local roads prior to and after the proposal is implemented to gauge the effectiveness and practicality of the measure and will monitor for any potentially negative unintended consequences.

The Department is looking into ways to increase the effective capacity of Route 1 in this area to increase safety.  Traffic in the Route 1 northbound rightmost live travel lane frequently comes to a standstill during peak periods due to queuing at the jughandles. 

The change is intended to minimize inconvenience to motorists and to better accommodate emergency vehicles that will be using this stretch of Route 1 to access the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, which is scheduled to open in mid-2012.

The Department has decided to implement the trial program after construction activity is concluded on Alexander Road and at the intersection of Harrison Street and Route 1.