Pilot Program Will Let Drivers Drive On Shoulder In South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A pilot project aimed at relieving congestion on Route 1 in South Brunswick is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 26, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) announced on June 19.

During the temporary project, drivers will be permitted to drive on the shoulder as if it were a normal lane of travel for a 1.9-mile stretch of Route 1 from Independence Way to Raymond Road in both directions, according to a Nixle alert from the South Brunswick Police Department.

Drivers will be permitted to use the shoulder between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Trucks may not use the shoulder for a regular lane of travel, and use of the shoulder will remain restricted at all other times.

Route 1 is three lanes before and after this section of the highway, causing a bottleneck and delays where the three lanes merge to two lanes. The goal of adding the shoulder as another lane of travel during peak travel times is to keep traffic flowing, reduce congestion, and improve safety.

This strategy is more popular in Europe, but is gaining popularity in the United States. NJDOT has been using what is known as “Hard Shoulder Running” successfully on Route 29 northbound approaching the Route 129 interchange in Trenton for several years, officials said.

The pilot project in South Brunswick is expected to last six months, but that may change based on the operational and safety data gathered during the pilot program. If the project is successful, NJDOT will consider making this a permanent improvement.

To prepare for the project, NJDOT is in the process of repaving a quarter mile section of the Route 1 northbound shoulder from milepost 14.2 to milepost 14.5 and restriping Route 1 from Independence Way to Raymond Road to provide for 12-foot wide travel lanes and a minimum 1-foot wide inner shoulder.

Signage is being installed along Route 1 and at each driveway, changing the yield signs to stop signs, to alert and guide the traveling public about the temporary shoulder use condition.

NJDOT is also installing closed-circuit TV cameras on utility poles in the project area so the shoulder can be monitored on a continual basis by NJDOT and South Brunswick officials.

Attached image posted by South Brunswick police, courtesy 511nj.org.