No Green Light Yet For Princeton's Witherspoon Street Phase 2 Design

PRINCETON NJ — Municipal engineers presented two concepts for the Witherspoon Street Phase II design on Monday. The plan is for the section of the road stretching from Geen Street to Franklin Avenue.

While Concept A focused on safety measures with little changes and Concept B involved substantial changes. These changes include the removal of parking meters, loss of mature trees and loss of over 45 percent of parking space. These changes would be required to make room for a protected bike lane.

Senior Planner Justin Lesko also presented the pros and cons of each concept to the Council. Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton said the Historic Preservation Committee leaned more towards Concept A.

“They (HPC) felt that the bikes lanes would make it more urban which does alter the historic streetscape that was part of the historic designation,” Stockton said about Concept B. “There was a concern about the loss of trees.”

PSE&G did not approve of the second concept as it would involve moving utility poles, Stockton said.

Stockton and Lesko recommended the approval of Concept A and asked Council permission to move to the design phase. The construction contacts need to be awarded by Nov. 19 or the municipality stands to lose $625,000 in grants, Stockton said.

Council decided to take some time to study both concepts before giving the engineering department the green light. Council members want to hear from the local business community and residents about their opinions on the designs.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news