Here’s The Latest On Princeton’s Witherspoon Traffic Signal Plan

PRINCETON, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Transportation plan to improve the existing traffic signal at the Nassau Street-Witherspoon Street intersection and modifying the space, is proceeding, township engineer Deanna Stockton told the Council during Monday’s meeting.

Construction is being planned for next year, with COVID relief funds. Township engineers are working with NJDOT designers to finalize the design.

The current plan has a 13.5 feet wide entrance onto Witherspoon Street from Nassau Street. However, it will be wide enough to accommodate trucks moving east and turning left from Nassau into Witherspoon, Stockton said.

Princeton engineers are working with NJDOT to make some of the curbs mountable, just to give an extra level of protection to emergency vehicles, Stockton said.

“Our emergency services have been accessing Witherspoon Street in its current configuration, at times going southbound... we are working with our traffic engineers to see what other additional improvements we can make to continue the safe response through that space,” Stockton said.

Mayor Mark Freda raised concerns over the mountable curbs, saying it could jeopardize pedestrian safety, to which Stockton said the design department would take that into consideration in future meetings with DOT.

The Township Engineering Department plans to recommend a “truck turn prohibition” for vehicles turning right on Witherspoon Street from Nassau. All truck access will come through left turns.

Stockton said this was a "pedestrian-centric design" while still accomodating truck traffic.