NJDOT to host two public forums about Alexander bridge replacement projects this week

Officials from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and Mercer County will hold two public information sessions this week to provide local residents and business owners with information about the bridge replacement projects over the D&R Canal and Stony Brook on Alexander Street.

Alexander Road will be closed for about six months during the projects, beginning on or about Nov. 6.

Sessions

Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the West Windsor Municipal Building at 271 Clarksville Road in West Windsor.

Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the main meeting room at Monument Hall, 1 Monument Drive Princeton.

Attendees will have an opportunity to review exhibits of the projects, ask questions, and discuss any concerns with NJDOT representatives, Mercer County officials, and the contractor. Homeowners, business owners, and the tenants of rental units are also welcome to attend the sessions.

The state bridge over the D&R Canal is located on Alexander Street, milepost 1.94 on the border of West Windsor Township and Princeton. The road is under municipal jurisdiction. The bridge is under NJDOT jurisdiction. The bridge was constructed in 1948 and consists of a three-span, simply supported, timber stringer type bridge carrying a timber deck overlaid with asphalt and continuous, rolled steel beams below each 6-foot wide timber
sidewalk. The existing bridge features one travel lane in each direction and no shoulders. The bridge has a 20-ton gross vehicle weight restriction.

Officials said the bridge’s condition is poor due to the condition of the substructure, and the structure has an inadequate deck geometry. The bridge will be replaced with a single-span bridge consisting of a beam-supported concrete deck founded on reinforced concrete abutments. The outer edge of the structure and concrete wingwalls will feature a wood façade. The roadway configuration will be two 12-foot lanes, two 5-foot shoulders and two 5-foot wide timber sidewalks with concrete curbs. The new bridge will cost an estimated $4.9 million. Construction staging will be coordinated with Mercer County’s project to replace the bridge over Stony Brook.

For more information, please contact contact Kimberley Nance, regional manager, New Jersey Department of Transportation Office of Community and Constituent Relations, PO Box 600, Trenton, NJ 08625-0600. Phone: 609-963-1982. E-mail: Kimberly.Nance@dot.nj.gov