NJDOT Tells Princeton That Witherspoon St Entrance Must Be Wider

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton’s plans to narrow the entrance to Witherspoon Street to 13.5 feet, have been blocked by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The entrance needs to be at least 22 feet wide, NJDOT said.

A special meeting was called on Friday to discuss updates on Nassau Street-Witherspoon Street intersection design when Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton made the announcement.

Princeton could lose funding for the project, to the tune of around $1 million, if it continues to stick to its plan of a 13.5 feet wide entrance, Stockton said.

“The rationale behind opting for the 22-foot-wide entrance is that it allows all truck movements and DOT has indicated to us that to reduce to anything lower quite possibly will not be approved because it would reduce the truck access,” Stockton said.

The engineer said the department came to Council on Sep. 27 to get “additional support” for the 13.5-foot design “not understanding that DOT was holding firm on the 22-foot-wide entrance.”

Read More Here: Here's The Latest On Princeton's Witherspoon Traffic Signal Plan

"We actually got a clarification on the 30th, three days after the Council meeting, that it’s a 22-foot-wide proposal,” Stockton said.

The Council passed a resolution in March, approving changes to Witherspoon Street, including replacing the traffic signal at the Nassau Street-Witherspoon Street intersection.

Stockton also informed Council that NJDOT was able to reduce the size of the traffic control box on the intersection of Nassau Street-Witherspoon Street. They are also working with PSE&G to locate the controller box on the University side of the street. These changes could possibly result in the kiosk remaining where it is.

After the presentation, a few Council members said they were not sure about what they were supposed to decide on if NJDOT had mandated a 22-feet-wide entrance.

Councilwoman Eve Niedergang said members of the Council had earlier thought they had an "agreement” with NJDOT. "So, how confident are we that we now really have an agreement?” she asked.

Land use engineer Jim Purcell said the township received a letter from NJDOT on street width (22-feet-wide), and that the township did not receive any confirmation letter approving the 13.5 feet wide street entrance plan.

The discussion on the street redesign is expected to continue Monday evening at the Council meeting.

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