Decision Deferred On Princeton's Witherspoon St. Kiosk Removal

PRINCETON, NJ - The Town Council on Monday asked the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Princeton Engineering Department to work on finding an alternative design to replace the existing traffic signal at the Nassau Street / Witherspoon Street intersection.

The redesign plan includes the removal of the kiosk on the intersection, which has been used by the community for years to post information.

The NJDOT is looking to install a much bigger signal control box than the current one, said Deanna Stockton, Municipal Engineer.

Jamini Patel from NJDOT attended the meeting and said they are in the final design stage. Construction is being planned for next year, with COVID relief funds.

Andrew MacLane designer from NJDOT presented a design plan. At the intersection of Witherspoon Street, NJDOT plans to provide bump-outs and extend the sidewalks on the shoulders along Nassau Street. This would result in the narrowing of Witherspoon Street. Curb ramps will be updated according to ADA compliance

The current traffic signal is powered by a manhole owned by PSE&G. The utility provider told NJDOT they prefer the signal box controller to be located in the Northwest corner, at the site of the existing one. The preferred location for the control box is where the kiosk is.

MacLane said the location was preferred because it has an unobstructed view in case of maintenance. An alternate location earlier identified was the Northeast corner near Hamilton Jeweler. But officials cited safety concerns and said they want to avoid live eclectic wire running under the streets.

The kiosk, which has been part of the Princeton community for years, will have to make way for the new signal control box.

MacLane said the kiosk cannot be repurposed with the equipment inside because there are concerns about ventilation and access. “Confining it (within the kiosk) is not with our electric standards,” he said.

The box that NJDOT plans to install is similar to what’s currently on Vandeventer Avenue-Washington Rd. The only difference will be in the additional box on the side to store an emergence backup generator.

Councilwoman Michelle Piron Lambros asked if there would be any green infrastructure around the construction as the township was already spending money on the beautification of Witherspoon Street, and adding a box would be unsightly.

Councilman David Cohen said he agreed with Lambros and expressed concern about the space the box would take up in a crowded site that sees a lot of pedestrian traffic.

Some councilmembers asked if the control box could be moved towards the Princeton University side, which MacLane said was not possible as they would run into issues with the State Historic Preservation Office because of the “historical and cultural significance of the University’s FitzRandolph Gate.”

The council could not come to a decision on the matter. NJDOT and Princeton Engineering Department will be discussing the matter further to come up with alternatives to current issues.

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