BACKGROUND

Traffic and safety improvements have been planned for Route 1 in the vicinity of the "Penns Neck" neighborhood of West Windsor Township, Mercer County for nearly fifteen years. In fact, the need for operational and safety improvements along this segment of Route 1 were first identified in the NJDOT's 1986 Route 1 Corridor Study, which investigated the length of Route 1 between Trenton and New Brunswick. The study identified development prospects and numerous circulation and safety problems in the Route 1 corridor and proposed a comprehensive program of operational and capacity improvements to facilitate the safe and efficient flow of traffic along Route 1.

Major Penns Neck area improvements dealing with three closely-spaced Route 1 traffic signals at Washington Road, Fisher Place and Harrison Street were identified as a high priority in the study but specific long-range solutions were left for future consensus building. In 1989, local and civic leaders agreed upon a preferred alternative for addressing the problem. This alternative, known as the "Millstone or Penns Neck Bypass," involved the elimination of the three traffic signals, the construction of a new grade-separated interchange just south of Harrison Street and the construction of a new, two-lane county roadway to connect the interchange with the surrounding roadway network. Significant environmental and community design constraints delayed the project for nearly a decade. During this almost ten year hiatus, improvements were made to other segments of Route 1, development continued, traffic conditions in the corridor worsened, and the consensus on the locally preferred alternative dissolved.

In 1998, the project was reintroduced to the public. An environmental assessment was prepared, which met with significant opposition from some local officials as well as community and environmental groups. After more than two years of unsuccessful attempts by NJDOT to resolve the differences among local interests, former Governor Christine Todd Whitman directed the NJDOT to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the project in November of 2001.

This experience exemplifies the challenges inherent in solving transportation problems in a complex and dynamic development, travel, infrastructure and policy environment. It also highlights the need for a fully transparent, objective and comprehensive public involvement process and the need to employ negotiation and conflict resolution tools in this and other contentious transportation decision-making forums.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

Utilize the Route 1 - Penns Neck Area traffic and safety needs as the framework for developing a model Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process that embraces the principles of Context Sensitive Design, including flexible design, respectful communications and negotiation and conflict resolution.