State Delays Route 1 Jughandle Closures until 2012

The state has announced it will delay a plan to close the jughandles at Washington Road and Harrison Street along Route 1 northbound.

The state’s department of transportation has scheduled the trial closure for 2012- it had previously been scheduled for this fall, according to Princeton officials.

The reason for the delay?

State officials want to wait until construction activity on Alexander Road is complete and at the intersection of Harrison Street and Route 1.

Closing the jughandles to stop left-hand turns and U-turns along Route 1 will eliminate congestion during peak traffic when the right-hand lanes come to a standstill due to queuing at the two intersections, state officials said.

After the trial closure, the judghandles will be permanently removed, leaving Alexander Road or Scudder’s Mill Road as the main travel routes from Route 1 into Princeton.

Motorists who need to cross Route 1 at Washington Road and Harrison Street would still be able to travel through the intersection.

Postponing the jughandle closures may be a relief to many Princeton residents, who braved long delays and traffic when Alexander Road was under construction earlier this summer.

State officials say the planned closures will also accommodate emergency vehicles heading to the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, which is scheduled to open in mid-2012.