Cranbury Road Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Alternatives Study.
Survey Ended April 27, 2014
West Windsor Township is planning regional bicycle and pedestrian improvements in and around the Princeton Junction and Grovers Mill portions of the Township, with primary focus on Cranbury Road (County Route 615) situated between Princeton-Hightstown Road (County Route 571) and the Township border with Plainsboro Township, Middlesex County. The project seeks ways to provide pedestrian and bicycle friendly improvements in this corridor.
The project goals consist of the following:
- Find ways to add walking and bicycling as viable transportation alternatives.
- Provide walkable / bikable connections to and between the major destinations.
- Insure the connections are safe for pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages.
- Develop connections in an environmentally and economically responsible manner.
Despite extensive boom periods in the Township's development, Cranbury Road has remained largely unimproved beyond the road with two 11-foot wide travel lanes with limited shoulders that exists today. Isolated areas of curb and sidewalk do exist south of the Clarksville Road intersection from more recent land developments, but they offer no connectivity to desired destinations. Anyone travelling through the area can see that there exist multiple constraints that prevent improvements from being easily achieved.
These include:
- Existing right-of-way is limited and varies from as little as 33-foot wide to 49.5-foot wide.
- Overhead utilities exist and poles are set close to the existing edge of pavement. Between CR 571 and Clarksville Road, pole lines run along both sides of the roadway.
- Mature trees and landscaping exist in front yards for both aesthetic reasons and for screening of homes.
- Between CR 571 and Clarksville Road, the properties retain their post-WWII era roots; with smaller homes on small properties, located in close proximity to the existing street. Some of this is due to the Big Bear Brook and its floodplain running parallel to Cranbury Road for a stretch up until the road bends and it crosses under Cranbury between Route 571 and Millstone Road. The stream crossing results in drastic grade changes, and adds significant environmental restrictions.
- The intersection of Cranbury Road with Millstone Road was improved in 2007. However, due to the recent relocation of the University Medical Center of Princeton from downtown Princeton into Plainsboro, both Cranbury Road and Millstone Road have become alternate routes to this facility for those looking to avoid Route 1 congestion.
As such, both roads have experienced increased traffic levels, to the point that the intersection now meets the warrants for signalization.
Improvements, for both bike/pedestrian and for signalization, are hampered by the limited right-of-way and small parcel sizes of the properties between Cranbury Road and the Big Bear Brook. - Connectivity to points south of Clarksville Road is hampered by the historic structures in and around the Clarksville Road intersection, limited right-of-way, and Grovers Mill Pond with its related environmental constraints."
More information and maps on the project may be found in the links below. If you still have questions after reviewing that information, you can contact the Engineering Division at 609-799-9396.
The documents below are provided in PDF format. You will need a PDF reader to view them. Adobe provides a free reader at http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html if you need the free PDF Reader.
Cranbury Road Final Report March 2015 (large documents noted below may be slow to open/download)
Appendix A - NJDOT Straight Line Diagram
Appendix B - Existing Conditions
Appendix C - Prop Bicycle & Pedetrian Trailways
Appendix D - Community Outreach
Appendix E - Concept Plans - Alternate 1 (18MB)
Appendix E - Concept Plans - Alternate 2 (12MB)
Appendix E - Concept Plans - Alternate 3 (14MB)
Appendix E - Concept Plans - Alternate 4 (13MB)
Appendix E - Concept Plans - Alternate 5 (7.6MB)
Appendix E - Concept Plans - Hybrid Alternate (15.2MB)
Cranbury Road Mobility Study, Transmittal Memorandum from Engineering Department - March 18, 2015
Third Public Meeting – October 22, 2014 Presentation
Hybrid Alternative
Second Public Meeting - August 13, 2014 Presentation
Alternative 1
Alternative 2
Alternative 3
Alternative 4
Alternative 5
A meeting was held to discuss the Cranbury Road Mobility Study – Wednesday, August 13 , 7:00 PM
Professional Consultation Solicitation
Township Trailways Map
First Public Meeting - March 31, 2014 Council Meeting Presentation
Public Survey