The New Jersey Department of Transportation has approved another extension of the Route 1 congestion relief project, which allows a portion of the shoulder of the highway in North and South Brunswick to be used as a travel lane during peak travel times.
Starting Aug. 22, between 6 and 10 a.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., motorists may use the shoulder as a travel lane for a 4 ½-mile stretch of Route 1 northbound and southbound from Route 522/Promenade Boulevard/Stouts Lane in South Brunswick to Thomas Avenue, just north of Finnegan’s Lane, in North Brunswick.
Use of the shoulder will be restricted at all other times, and trucks are not permitted to use the shoulder as a travel lane.
The temporary project, known as Hard Shoulder Running (HSR), will allow the shoulder to be used as a travel lane for nearly seven miles from Thomas Avenue to Independence Way.
Route 1 is two lanes in this section of the highway, causing delays. The goal in use the shoulder as a travel lane during peak periods is to keep traffic flowing, reduce congestion, and improve safety, according to the DOT.
DOT successfully implemented a similar project on 2.3 miles of Route 1 in both directions from Independence Way to Route 522 in 2017.
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The existing HSR section includes several communication features to inform the traveling public about the use of shoulders as travel lanes during peak commuting times. These features include static regulatory and guide signs as well as electronic lane use control signals to indicate whether the shoulder is open or closed as a travel lane.
Because this is a pilot project, there are only pavement markings and static regulatory and guide signs.
After the HSR has been in place for several months, DOT will analyze data to determine if the pilot project successfully provided congestion relief during rush hour, without compromising the safety on Route 1.
This work is part of the $6.6 million state-funded Route 1 Hard Shoulder Running pilot project.
The project began in June with the widening, as well as the milling and paving, of the right shoulder within the project limits so it can be used as a travel lane during designated times to improve safety and relieve congestion on Route 1 in Middlesex County. In addition, the project repaired curb and drainage inlets.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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