Freight Study Complete, Changes Will Come To Middlesex’s Rt. 130, 32

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ – Middlesex County recently announced the completion of the Southern Middlesex County Freight Movement Study. The study was undertaken together with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), in the spring 2022, to assess the impact of truck traffic on local roads and neighborhoods throughout southern portion of Middlesex County, including South Brunswick and Cranbury.

The study examined potential outcome of a variety of mitigation measures, like updated GPS wayfinding, installation of new signage, improvements to intersections, speed reduction, and improvements to physical infrastructure, as well as possible truck restrictions.

The study identifies and recommends numerous opportunities to significantly mitigate the impact of trucks on residential roads.

Among the study’s primary recommendations is the designation of new preferred routes for trucks that will limit their time on local roads and in residential neighborhoods.

In response to the study’s findings and recommendations, Middlesex County and its partner municipalities will immediately begin working with local warehouse operators, their navigation (GPS) system providers, and public GPS providers to encourage them to map routes for trucks that avoid residential neighborhood roads as preferred route options for trucks.

The County, in collaboration with all levels of government, will also evaluate the need for additional wayfinding signage and begin installing signage to direct trucks to use designated truck routes leading to Route 130 rather than traveling through residential neighborhoods.

Short-term plans that the County and municipalities intend to pursue based on the study’s findings include:

• Applying to the NJDOT for truck restrictions on key local roadways such as Cranbury Station Road, as well as other local roadways in the future.
• Installing new signage, such as new wayfinding signage to direct trucks between NJ Turnpike exit 8A and NJ 33 via Route 130; new wayfinding signage for truck entry on County Road 619 (Applegarth Road) and/or County Road 614 (Prospect Plains Road) to guide trucks to warehouses; additional vertical height clearance signage on County Road 522; and wayfinding signage for trucks on Cranbury Station Road between U.S. Route 130 and Hightstown-Cranbury Station Road – including working with warehouse operator’s to establish truck wayfinding signage at their driveway exits encouraging trucks to head westbound to U.S. 130 to then travel north or south.
• Reimagining and reconfiguring intersections to accommodate truck movements, including making it safer for trucks to make left turns through changes to the roadway markings and geometry.
• Reducing the speed limit on state Route 32 from 45 mph to 40 mph and standardizing the number of lanes in each direction. According to the study’s crash analysis, Route 32 is considered a “truck crash hotspot.”

“The Department is investigating both short-term fixes, such as revising turning movements at some intersections on Route 130, and long-term improvements including the elimination of the traffic circle at Route 130 and CR 539/South Main Street, that will go a long way in supporting the County’s efforts for the safe and efficient movement of freight and improved safety for the community,” said NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.

Middlesex County Commissioner Charles Kenny, Chair of the County’s Transportation Committee said the implementation of recommendations will help to “further improve the safety of everyone who lives, works, and plays in Middlesex County. We look forward to working with our partners in both the public and private sector to make these important changes.”

LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS

In addition to recommending immediate and near-term solutions for various issues, the Southern Middlesex County Freight Movement Study also considers the need for potential larger infrastructure projects in the future. Among these potential projects is the reconfiguration of the intersection of County Road 535 (Cranbury-South River Road) and NJ Route 32 (Forsgate Drive) to better facilitate and prioritize movements between the two corridors and the NJ Turnpike at exit 8A.

The Southern Middlesex County Freight Movement Study is now available for public review at njtpa.org/MiddlesexFreightStudy. For more information about the freight movement study, please visit middlesexcountynj.gov/freightstudy.