NJDOT to shift traffic on Route 1
over the Millstone River

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced an upcoming traffic shift on Route 1 over the Millstone River in West Windsor (Mercer County) and Plainsboro (Middlesex County) in connection with an ongoing bridge replacement project.

NJDOT will establish a new construction zone on the northbound side of Route 1 by shifting southbound traffic to the right and northbound traffic to the left.

In order to establish the new permanent construction zone, two nights of lane closures will be necessary on consecutive weekends.

• On Friday night, March 19, NJDOT will close two lanes of Route 1 southbound from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., Saturday morning, March 20, with a single lane of Route 1 southbound remaining closed until 9 a.m.

• The following weekend NJDOT will close two lanes of Route 1 northbound from 11 p.m. Friday, March 26 to 5 a.m., Saturday morning, March 27, with a single lane of Route 1 northbound remaining closed until 9 a.m.

One lane of Route 1 will remain open in each direction during these overnight traffic shifts. Once the new traffic pattern is implemented, Route 1 will maintain three full lanes of traffic in each direction over the Millstone River. All work is weather dependent.

The $18.8 million project will replace the structurally deficient Route 1 Bridge over the Millstone River. The new concrete bridge will feature shoulders and two sidewalks. The use of pre-cast concrete bridge components will enable NJDOT to complete the project without major impacts to traffic. Construction work requiring lane closures is being done overnight in order to minimize impacts on Route 1 traffic. The project is scheduled for completion in October 2010.

Variable message signs have been installed on Route 1 to inform motorists of changes in traffic operations during construction. Construction information and real-time traffic updates are available at www.511nj.org or by calling 511.