206 2.0

If you're reading this you're probably aware that NJDOT has put forth a new proposal for a Route 206 highway bypass in Hillsborough. The current proposal makes a number of significant changes to the plan that has been on the drawing board since 2002, namely:

• The southern terminus has been moved from Belle Mead-Griggstown Rd. to Mountain View Rd.
  
  
• The southern portion of the bypass will be just one lane in each direction from south of Amwell Rd. to Mountain View Rd.
  
  
• There will be an intersection with a traffic light at Hillsborough Rd.
  
  
• The intersection with Amwell Rd. has been changed from a highway-style interchange to a modified design that includes a traffic light on Amwell Rd., and a second light where the bypass intersects Steinmetz Rd.
  
  

At first glance it's hard to see how this plan will fulfill the requirements needed for a good highway bypass. But if we break it down piece by piece we may find that we are not that far off.

So here goes:

1. Is the highway of sufficient length to bypass the congested area? Yes - if the idea is to "bypass" Hillsborough's "Town Center", then this plan certainly does that. Even if it is shorter than originally proposed. The stretch of Rt. 206 between Triangle Rd. and the Day's Inn is still a problem, but that portion of the highway wasn't addressed in the 2002 proposal either. It is a part of a separate project, one with its own problems - and one that admittedly we have not heard a lot about.
   
   
2. Does the route make geographic sense? I'm giving this a "yes" also. It may not make the MOST sense, but it is certainly not insensible. It solves the "Pike Run" problem, and if it is true that a good number of southbound motorists are headed for 601, it solves that problem too. It is also worth noting that this current proposal calls for a new bridge over the CSX rail line at the 206/601 intersection.
   
   
3. Are there enough lanes to handle ALL of the traffic? For this one I have to say no. Making 2/3 of the length of the bypass just one lane in each direction seems incomprehensible. However, it is curious that this stretch of the bypass calls for a "grass median" between the two lanes. I suppose if the grass median is wide enough, elimination of the median at some future time would allow for two additional lanes. But I don't know if we should be giving the DOT credit for being that forward-looking.
   
   

And on that note - let's pick this up tomorrow. In fact let's WRAP this up tomorrow. I'll be forward-looking to that!