Rectangular rapid crosswalk flashing beacons are coming to two key intersections on Route 206/State Road at Mansgrove Road and Herrontown Road.
The Princeton Council awarded a $63,300 contract to WSP USA Inc., N.Y., taking the next step to install the traffic beacons, which were approved by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) earlier this year.
The rectangular rapid flashing beacon is activated by a pedestrian or bicyclist who wants to cross the street. They have already been installed on Witherspoon Street near the Princeton Public Library on Alexander Street and on Route 206/Bayard Lane.
WSP USA Inc., which was awarded the contract at the Princeton Council’s Nov. 14, 2022 meeting, will prepare engineering and design plans for the beacons. The plans will be sent to the NJDOT for approval. After the plans are approved by the state agency, Princeton is expected to put the project out to bid.
The town’s Traffic Safety Committee recommended installing the rectangular rapid flashing beacons at the two key intersections to provide more visibility to the crosswalks at those locations.
Princeton Councilman David Cohen said officials have had a lot of requests from residents in the Mansgrove Road/Woodland Drive neighborhood. They will be “well served” by the new traffic safety measure, he said.
The crosswalk at Herrontown Road has a higher pedestrian demand than the one at Mansgrove Road because of the businesses, including food establishments, on the west side of Route 206/State Road.
More pedestrians are expected to use the crosswalk at Herrontown Road because of impending development on the east side of Route 206/State Road, Cohen said.
One of those developments is a 64-unit affordable rental apartment building on the site of the former SAVE animal shelter on the corner of Mount Lucas Road and Herrontown Road. Work on the development has not yet begun.
The Herrontown Road crossing will be an important pedestrian route for the people who will live in the affordable housing development to get across Route 206/State Road to the businesses on the opposite side of the street, Cohen said.
“We envision that part of Route 206 [to become] a more walkable place to live in the future. This is an important first step,” Cohen said.
