New Jersey...
 

US 1:
 

Table of Contents:

• Summary

• Detailed Description

• Current and Future Improvements

• Junction Log

• Related Links

• Traffic Information

• Sources

Summary / Pictures:

Detailed Description:

Tens of thousand of motorists in Mercer and Middlesex Counties rely on US 1 each day for their local mobility throughout central New Jersey. US 1 is also a major through route as it passes through these counties. The highway between I-95/I-295 in Lawrence and NJ 18 in New Brunswick has seen consistently growing traffic volumes and has become a regional alternative for motorists and truckers seeking to evade tolls on the NJ Turnpike (I-95) as well as jump the missing I-95 gap through central Jersey. The growth of the high traffic volumes on US 1 will not begin to ease anytime soon because the municipalities surrounding US 1 will continue to grow due to their scattered pockets of undeveloped land with its ideal location between New York and Philadelphia.

Historically, the name of this 25 mile highway with a perfectly straight alignment is the Trenton-New Brunswick turnpike. Back in the days when horse-drawn carriages roamed the turnpike, wooden toll booths were located along the highway. Ever since the debut of the automobile, the Trenton-New Brunswick turnpike has been a highway with large volumes of through traffic since it is the shortest route between New York and Philadelphia. However, the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental auto route, was designated along a separate route that parallels US 1 on an alignment that varies between one and two miles to the west. Today, the Lincoln Highway is designated as NJ 27 north of Princeton and US 206 south of Princeton. The route designation of US 1 between the Livingston Avenue / NJ 26 junction in North Brunswick and the US 1 Business junction in Trenton was originally NJ 26. North of the junction with modern NJ 26 (Livingston Avenue), US 1 was designated as NJ 25 along the New Brunswick bypass and north towards Newark. The great renumbering of state highways, which helped New Jersey prepare for the introduction of US highways in 1926 and 1927, changed the highway numbering throughout the Garden State, giving US 1 its current designation. Although the New Jersey Turnpike opened in 1954 in order to take through traffic off US 1 and other roadways throughout New Jersey, US 1 still carries a significant amount of through traffic today.

During the time period in which I-95 was proposed as a free route west of the NJ Turnpike, US 1 was still a two lane highway running through rural territory dominated by farmland. As suburban sprawl began to show up starting in the 1970s, the US 1 corridor was forever changed along the highway. Traffic volumes during and after the 1970’s were growing so fast to the point where the right shoulder was used a travel lane during rush hour with signage posted. Shoulder use during rush hour came to an end when US 1 was widened through Middlesex and Mercer Counties; primarily US 1&9 and south. I-95 once had signage detouring motorists along US 1 in order to jump the gap in the interstate highway between Trenton and New Brunswick. These signs existed from the 1970’s to the mid-late 1980’s. The detour signage as of today discourages the use of US 1 to continue when I-95 terminates at US 1/I-295 and instead encourages motorists to use I-295 SOUTH, I-195 EAST and the NJ Turnpike at Exit 7A. Today, the once-plentiful "TO I-95" signage along US 1 has dropped down to only one "TO I-95 " sign remaining, which is located along US 1 northbound near the New Road signal in South Brunswick. This "great" detour which NJDOT advises motorists to follow forces them to travel an additional distance of 20 miles, including several miles of southward backtracking. This arrangement will change around 2012 as PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority are in cooperation to finally fix the I-95 gap. The proposed project will add an interchange between existing I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I-95 will be routed east along the Pennsylvania Turnpike and onto the New Jersey Turnpike Pennsylvania Extension to connect to the NJ Turnpike mainline at Exit 6. This will finally close the gap and I-95 will be a continuous route for the first time between New York and Philadelphia. For maps detailing the history of the cancelled I-95 freeway, see the NJ Freeways website.

After I-95 was cancelled through Central New Jersey around the early 1980s, the MSM (Middlesex, Somerset, and Mercer Counties) regional council recommended that all major intersections on US 1 be grade-separated. It has recommended the NJDOT commit a long-term policy of eliminating traffic signals with the construction of service roads and the end of direct access for businesses. This proposal comes with a price tag of $750 million dollars. Advocates suggest congestion toll pricing as a possibility to expedite construction. While some progress has been made building grade separations, with US 130 in North Brunswick and Meadow Road in West Windsor recently completed, significant progress remains to be made. In April of 2004, the US Corps of Engineers also recommended the removal of many existing signals of US 1 in conjunction with the NJ 92 freeway project that is still being discussed but may be close to cancellation. The proposed freeway would connect US 1 to Exit 8A on the Turnpike and, as currently proposed, would be built as a turnpike extension.

The growing pains throughout the Central New Jersey municipalities, which are facing fast growth in population, are already putting US 1 at near or overcapacity. Opponents of the NJ 92 project argue that it will likely face an additional burden of at least 20,000 additional vehicles if NJ 92 gets built. In 2001, US 1 was the most dangerous highway in New Jersey with 7200 accidents and 14 fatalities along the fast paced stretch of US 1 between I-95 and NJ 18. Whether or not NJ 92 is built, Improvements must be made to bring safer flow of traffic along US 1. With its long history dating back to the 1800’s along the existing alignment, US 1 continues to be the favored route over the NJ Turnpike since it is a free route and since it offers more direct access to I-95, I-287 and I-295. Improvements must be made for US 1 in order to keep central New Jerseys transportation infrastructure stable and moving.

Plans and Comments on Current and Future Improvements to US 1:

Mercer County

NJ/PA line to I-95/I-295:

This segment is all freeway with the exception of between US 1 BUSINESS and I-95/i-295, so no upgrades are needed. However, a grade separation at the last remaining traffic would help to keep traffic moving along one of the main access routes into the state capital of New Jsersy. This traffic light is located at Franklin Corner Road / Bakers Basin Road. There are no current plans for removal of the traffic light.

I-95/I-295 to Plainsboro Road in Plainsboro, Middlesex County:

The Quakerbridge Road interchange on US 1 SB has collector / distributor lanes while underway, to add collector / distributor lanes through the interchange on US 1 NB. The signal at Nassau Park Blvd was recently removed, and the businesses on Nassau Park Blvd can now be reached through the Quakerbridge Road interchange. There is one more signal, located at Carnegie Ctr. Blvd., before US 1 reaches the village of Penns Neck, still in West Windsor. There are no current plans to remove the signal, but it could easily be closed since it only serves areas that are also served by the new interchanges located at Meadow Road, Alexander Road and in the near future, Nassau Park Blvd. The major improvement needed along this segment is the removal of the three signals at Penns Neck which are located at Harrison Street, Fisher Place, and Washington Road. A depressed (below-grade) freeway is proposed along the existing alignment, with service roads provided on the surface. This project will help traffic congestion and will also provide for a better quality of life in the village of Penns Neck by moving the through traffic out of the center of the village. An environmental impact statement for the Penns Neck project has been completed and is available online. http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/pennsneckareaeis/index.html

Middlesex County

Plainsboro Road to Independence Road in South Brunswick:

No work needed, as all junctions are grade-separated.

Independence Road to Cozzens Lane/Adams Lane in North Brunswick:

The stop and go madness begins for the next 10 signals after Independence Blvd crossing into South Brunswick. Yards past the Ridge Road signal, the proposed NJ 92 freeway is to end at US 1 in a trumpet interchange. If Ridge Road remains signalized, there will likely be large backups onto US 1 SB from the traffic exiting NJ 92 during the busiest times of the day. As mentioned in the description, signal removal is recommended by the US Corps of Engineers and the MSM. The current 3-year state transportation plan does not include funding for more grade separations, but if funding becomes available, grade separation may be pursued.

Cozzens Lane/Adams Lane to NJ 18:

Jersey Ave (NJ 91) and Livingston Ave (NJ 26) meet US 1 at grade separated interchanges but from Livingston Ave to US 130 there are two signals serving business driveways. The North Oaks Blvd signal would be difficult to convert into a grade separation but the Wal-Mart signal would be easier to build into an interchange. The summer of 2003 brought the US 130/NJ 171(Georges Road)/Carolier Lane interchange into a reality by removing the long time circle/signal which has brought daily congestion for US 1. North of US 130 to NJ 18 minor work, such as collector/distributor lanes at Ryders Lane, will be done to bring US 1 to safer standards. This project is in the NJDOT three-year plan with construction scheduled to begin in 2007.

Junction Log:

Related Links:

• US 1 Pictures from New Brunswick to PA Line (Steve Alpert)

• US 1 Trenton Freeway Description (Steve Anderson)

• I-95 “Jump The Gap” Pics (Ray Martin)

• US 1 Trenton Freeway Pics (Ray Martin)

• US 1 Historical Description (Dan Moraseski)

• Trenton-New Brunswick Turnpike (Rutgers-New Bruns. Uni.)

• Lincoln Highway through New Jersey: (James Lin)

• Lincoln Highway Map and Pictures (Sandor Gulyas)

US 1 Traffic Information:

• Traffic Cameras Provided by NJDOT

• Central New Jersey Traffic Provided by Traffic Pulse

• Mercer County Traffic Provided by Traffic Pulse

• Mercer County Traffic Provided by Smart Traveler

Sources:
Lou Corsaro, Eric Smith, Ray Martin, Steve Anderson, Steve Alpert, James Lin, Dan Moraseski, Home News Tribune, North-South Brunswick Sentinel, NJDOT, No92.com, Rutgers-New Brunswick University, Penns Neck Area EIS, US Corps of Engineers April 2004 Final Draft, USA Star I-95 Forum-Skydude.

Last Updated: 2/21/05

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