Millstone Bypass in Historic Princeton
For those who seek to preserve historic environments, here's a way to win
against inappropriate highway development.
Mary Krugman
___________________________________
From: Tri-State Transportation Campaign <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Mobilizing the Region 156
In a message dated 1/12/98 3:18:10 PM EST, [log in to unmask] writes:
> TOWNS DISLIKE MILLSTONE BYPASS
>
> The Princeton Regional Planning Board voted unanimously last night
> to reject NJ DOT’s proffered congestion study of the $54 million, 2-
> mile Millstone Bypass around the historic entrance to Princeton from
> US Rt. 1. A local citizens group, STOP, urged the board to reject the
> study and write a strong letter to the Delaware Valley Planning
> Commission, FHWA and DOT, citing added traffic that would flow
> from the single-occupant capacity highway construction. The group, as
> well as Tri-State’s representative Janine Bauer and several members of
> the Planning Board (which includes Princeton Borough and Township
> mayors) noted that the study’s traffic figures were poorly presented,
> outdated and highly questionable. The critics also said the study’s
> focus was too narrow, and that some of the most promising demand
> reduction strategies, including cash-out parking and jitney shuttles to
> the heavily used Princeton Junction train station, were excluded
> from review at the outset. Under ISTEA, agencies must develop
> "congestion system management" studies before building new highway
> capacity (except for HOV lanes).
>
> Ironically, the prior application before the planning board was from
> behemoth employer and developer Princeton University, who requested
> another in a long string of parking space variances. The Tri-State
> Campaign urged the Board and STOP to lobby for a Princeton
> University parking "cash-out" program (see MTR 155 re: IBM in
> Somers). Another promising strategy ignored by DOT was extension
> of the Princeton RR shuttle, commonly called the "Dinky," to
> Plainsboro, from which 18% of the trips in the corridor emanate.
> * * *
>
MTR#156. Contributing: Janine Bauer, John Kaehny, Charles Komanoff
Editors: Jon Orcutt, Alec Merber.
Executive Director, Janine Bauer
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
281 Park Ave. South, 2nd Floor,
New York, NY 10010
tel. (212) 777-8181
fax (212) 777-8157
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http://www.tstc.org/
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