Year After Pedestrian Death, Princeton's Rosedale Rd Roundabout Opens

PRINCETON, NJ – On Thursday, Mercer County reopened Rosedale Road after completing work on the mini roundabout at the intersection of Rosedale Road and General Johnson Road.

This comes a year after 82-year-old Pinghua Xu was struck and killed at the intersection.

For years residents have called on authorities to take steps to make Rosedale Road safer for pedestrians, as its close to Johnson Park Elementary School. Since it’s a county road, Council had to work with County officials to get work started on the project. More: Residents Call For Safety Measures On Princeton's Rosedale Road

Construction work began in June.

The roundabout, located at the intersection of Rosedale Road and entrances to Johnson Park Elementary School and Greenway Meadows Park, was engineered to increase pedestrian safety, control speeds along Rosedale Road and decrease congestion in the area during peak school and park operation hours.

The roundabout provides improvements to support all road users, including pedestrians and bicyclists. It also complements Princeton’s Safe Routes to School project by calming traffic along Rosedale Road.

In April the municipality and Mercer County held a Public Information Center to provide residents and businesses with information on the project. Attendees were able to give their input on the project.

In addition to the roundabout, Mercer County also reduced travel lane widths to 11 feet on Rosedale Road approaches, lowered the posted speed limit to 35 mph between Elm Road and Province Line Road while maintaining the 25 mph school zone, and installed Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB’s) on both Rosedale Road approaches, to increase driver awareness of pedestrian crossings.

County officials collaborated with Safe Routes to School Program Coordinators during the conceptual design phase, resulting in the addition of the rumble strips and "school ahead" pavement markings.

Johnson Park Elementary School and Greenway Meadows Park officials were consulted during the construction staging design process with a focus on maintaining access to the school and park entrances.

The project completion comes ahead of the start of the new school year in September.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com