Work on New South Brunswick Park-and-Ride Expected to Begin in 2012

Expanded options for South Brunswick commuters is at least one year away after the township learned it has been approved for a new park-and-ride to be located near the intersection of Route 1 and Independence Way. Discussions for the new park-and-ride have been ongoing since the spring, as the Township Council had been considering two potential locations for the site.

The township originally was focused on adding two new facilities with a possible location also on Route 1 near the Beekman Road intersection, but officials decided to focus on getting approval for the Independence Way park-and-ride due to concerns about Beekman Road's traffic problems.

The Beekman Road intersection improvement project has been in limbo for close to three years,  that will finally allow the long awaited improvements to Route 27 and Beekman Road to begin. Officials said concerns for the added traffic from a park-and-ride on Beekman caused them to focus on the Independence Way location.

"Residents of Beekman Road came out to meetings and pointed out some of the issues in the area in regards to traffic at that intersection," said Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz. "We still haven't gotten (Department of Transportation) approval for the intersection improvements at Beekman, so we don't want to add to the traffic problems."

The park-and-ride project is to be funded by a $4 million federal transportation grant awarded to South Brunswick in 2006. The addition of the park-and-ride facilities would help to ease traffic on Route 1, while also alleviating parking issues at the train station in Princeton Junction, according Schmalz.

, New Jersey Transit spokesman Tom Clark estimated 150 to 200 South Brunswick residents park their cars at the Princeton Junction train station. By expanding an existing bus route to include the new park-and-ride, residents would be able to leave their cars in town rather than driving to Princeton Junction or New Brunswick.

"We're pretty much a year off on beginning the project," Schmalz said. "There will be some parking lot work to do. We're originally looking at 80 parking spots, with the intention of leaving area for expansion."

Schmalz said the township is in talks with Suburban Transit to run express buses into New York City through the facility, in addition to taking residents to places like Princeton Junction and Quakerbridge Mall.

"Without DOT approval for the improvements to Beekman, we needed to look at a secondary site and (Independence Way) is one of the better intersections with Route 1," he added. "We're working with Princeton Forrestal Village, who owns some of the property. So this can be a win for the township, residents and businesses located there, so it does make sense."