Road Work, Sidewalks, Best-In-NJ Ranking: West Windsor Mayor Recaps Year

WEST WINDSOR, NJ — Road improvements across 19 township streets, a new sidewalk connection to the Trolley Line Trail and a statewide best-place-to-live ranking headlined Mayor Hemant Marathe's annual State of the Township address Monday night.

Bids for improvements to 19 township roads are set to be opened June 30, with construction expected to begin in September if a contract is awarded, Marathe said. The township is also engaging a firm to evaluate the condition of every road in West Windsor using modern analytical tools, after which the council will discuss funding strategies to improve road maintenance beyond current budget levels.

A sidewalk extension along Cranbury Road, with a design contract awarded to Roberts Engineering on April 27, will let residents near the Avalon development travel by sidewalk all the way to the Trolley Line Trail along Rabbit Hill Road once completed in 2027. The township will also continue adding flashing beacons at selected crosswalks this year, including those near schools and at the Harris Road and Alexander Road intersection.

Marathe noted that the first phase of the Vaughn Drive Bypass is complete, connecting Washington Road to Alexander Road through the NJ Transit parking lot, with work toward a permanent bypass continuing. The township is also testing traffic-calming striping on Fisher Place and Fairview Avenue in partnership with the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance.

On public safety, the police department has installed nine license plate readers and four traffic cameras throughout the township, and the council recently approved a first-of-its-kind partnership in which The Estates at Princeton Junction homeowners' association will purchase cameras for its development and donate them to the township.

On finances, Marathe said West Windsor maintained its AAA bond rating, and despite a municipal tax increase this year, the average annual increase over the last five years remains 1.85 percent. Although the township receives only about 15 percent of every property tax dollar paid, he said, it provides services including garbage and recycling collection, snow removal, police, fire and emergency services, parks and recreation, brush and leaf pickup, street maintenance, sidewalk repairs and street lighting.

The township also earned outside recognition over the past year: Niche ranked Princeton Junction the best place to live in New Jersey.

"While we consistently rank highly in state and national evaluations, being ranked number one is something special," Marathe said. "What makes the recognition especially meaningful is that we neither applied for it nor knew we were being evaluated."

West Windsor also earned Sustainable Jersey's Silver Certification — the highest level awarded — was again recognized as a Tree City USA, and was named a Healthy Town to Watch by the Mayors Wellness Campaign for the first time. The township additionally updated its website and reactivated its social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and X, and continues to lead regional flood control and groundwater quality efforts in partnership with The Watershed Institute.

Residents may also see a change to leaf and brush pickup: Marathe presented a proposal for a revised collection policy at the last council meeting and encouraged residents to share feedback before it is finalized.

"When people ask me about West Windsor, I always give the same answer: It has been a wonderful place to raise my family, and it continues to be a wonderful place to live," Marathe said. "That success is not the result of one person. It is the result of the collective efforts of many people and organizations."

Marathe delivered the address at the invitation of Council President Sonia Gawas and the township council. The township previously announced it had reduced its Round 4 affordable housing obligation by more than 200 units, which Marathe highlighted as a high point of the year.

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