Alexander Bridge scheduled to open again Tuesday afternoon
The repair work on the bridge over the Stony Brook on Alexander Road near the border of Princeton and West Windsor is slated to be finished by about 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Alexander Road will re-open as soon as the work is completes and all construction equipment has been removed. The road will be closed again starting in the fall for about seven or eight months when the county and state replace two bridges and a culvert.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
Traffic was a mess in Princeton, on route 1, 206, and 27 as well as Harrison and Washington. This emergency closure sets the tone for what it will be like for the 9 months the bridge is closed for replacement. While I understand the need for a permanent replacement I feel that there needs to be a plan in place to help ease this traffic. Alexander is the only way out of Princeton with an overpass over route 1 and is vital to traffic flow on route 1. Perhaps a temporary connector road from Washington to Alexander in west Windsor (near Princeton’s solar field) would help alleviate some of this congestion. Or at a very minimum pay overtime to accelerate the timeline of the replacement.
We are in 2019, plan the work and try to reduce the downtime (inconvenience). Can’t believe the country (USA) which is known for latest technology and other fields says they need to close these small bridges for 4-6 months to repair / replace… Do some work at other off-location and get the ready material to be replaced at these bridges…
There’s definitely a way to construct a new bridge while keeping the old one functional. I can’t believe Princeton businesses aren’t exerting more pressure on the town or the University, as this 9-month boondoggle will undoubtedly impact visitor traffic.