LAWRENCE: Public hearing set on proposed improvements to Brunswick Pike

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
LAWRENCE — A special public information session on proposed improvements to Brunswick Pike, between the Brunswick Circle and Lake Drive, has been set for Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Slackwood Fire Co. at 21 Slack Avenue.
The public information session, which is a chance for residents to view the proposed plans and comment on them, is sponsored by the state Department of Transportation. The project is in the final design stage and work should begin next month.
The proposed changes grew out of a study by the state Department of Transportation to address Lawrence Township’s desire to redevelop Route 1 Business between Pear Street and Lake Drive into a pedestrian-friendly urban streetscape that promotes business development.
One of the key elements of the plan is eliminating the traffic signal at Whitehead Road and Brunswick Pike. A roundabout, or traffic circle, would take its place. It would provide a transition between the higher speed segment of Route 1 Business north of Whitehead Road, and the lower speed, traffic-calmed segment of Route 1 Business south of Whitehead Road.
The roundabout is proposed to be 150 feet in diameter. There would be three entrances and exits to the roundabout — a pair of two-lane entrances and exits for traffic traveling north and south on Brunswick Pike, and a one-lane exit to Whitehead Road. The Whitehead Road jughandle would be removed.
Graf Avenue would end in a cul-de-sac at Brunswick Pike because of its close proximity to the roundabout. Traffic would likely be directed to the traffic signal on Brunswick Pike at Slack Avenue.
In addition to the roundabout, the proposal calls for a 14.6-foot-wide grass median that would divide the two northbound and two southbound lanes on Brunswick Pike. There would be an 8-foot-wide on-street parking lane on Brunswick Pike North, and a 4-foot-wide shoulder on Brunswick Pike South.