DESIGN ROUTE 29 FOR PEOPLE NOT JUST FOR CARS
Over the past several months, there has been a great deal of attention focused on traffic problems in the South Ward. Chief among the concerns are traffic and trucks using Lamberton Street and unsafe intersections along the new Rt. 129. There is almost unanimous agreement that both problems should be addressed, but not how.
The TIMES editorial on July 23rd suggested that the answer to the safety problems on Route 129 is building more highway. While I agree that the design of Rt. 129 has caused severe and unnecessary safety problems, the problems are caused by OVER design, not under design as the editorial implies. NJDOT designed Route 129 - which is an urban road improvement -- using engineering and design standards that are meant for suburban conditions where there are fewer conflicts with pedestrians and bicycles.
Such suburban-style standards should not be used for the proposed new section of Route 29 because it encourages speed, noise, trucks, and danger. A narrower, urban-style street pattern will still allow traffic to move through South Trenton more efficiently, if more slowly, and provide a much safer environment for pedestrians, impact less on the Delaware, enhance the South Trenton Waterfront redevelopment efforts, and provide a legitimate reason for the DOT to return to the Tidelands Resource Council for reconsideration of this much needed project. Any savings in costs from a smaller scale project would also liberate funds for more investment in community enhancements.
In 1991, Congress deregulated federal highway design standards to allow state and local government flexibility in the design of local projects. It is unfortunate NJDOT did not avail themselves of this design flexibility when planning the Rt. 129 project. But there is still the possibility of redesigning this proposed section of Route 29, and it should be done. A future project to retrofit Route 129 with "traffic calming" features should also be considered.
The Route 29 project has already been delayed in part by those who oppose the project because of the impact on the Delaware River. Downsizing Route 29 project should help to move the project forward because it will, to a large extent, reduce the impact of the road on the River to a more acceptable level. In fact, a redesign can provide a win/win solution, allowing needed traffic flow improvements and at the same time meeting the important needs of the City's residents.
The Route 29 connection to I-195/295 has been planned for almost two decades and should not be a surprise to anyone on either side of the Delaware. In addition, even the current design plans are significantly smaller than the grandiose six-lane connection originally envisioned. NJDOT developed the current proposal from an open public process that has been evolving for more than two years. They have already agreed to such innovations as splitting the north and south bound lanes to create a traffic pattern more like the surrounding neighborhood grid and creating a decked park area over a portion of the road to shield the neighborhood from the traffic that now effectively separates South Trenton residents from the waterfront are good ideas that deserve recognition. However, they have been unresponsive so far to our suggestions to downsize the design. Perhaps the recognition that the safety hazards of Route 129 can be avoided will move them now.
Opponents of the 29 project have raised serious concerns about the impact the project will have on the Delaware River but, even they agree that something should be done to alleviate the horrible traffic conditions that now exist along Lamberton Street. The opponents of the 29 project suggest that traffic on Lamberton should be diverted on to Rt. 129 and other existing roads such as Cass Street. The answer to the Lamberton Street traffic mess is not to put additional traffic on Rt. 129 which has proven to be unsafe even with existing volumes of traffic.
The current design plans for Rt. 29 are less than perfect and can still be improved upon, but the innovative ideas that represent a commendable effort to address many of the concerns put forth by South Trenton residents over the past several years should not be abandoned. The best solution for all concerned would be for the project's designers to recognize the design mistakes made on Route 129, listen to the concerns regarding encroachment on the Delaware River and exercise the flexibility they are allowed in designing new road facilities.
Jon A. Carnegie
Jon Carnegie is a resident of Trenton's East Ward and Vice President for Planning at MSM Regional Council. Since 1996, MSM has supported the Route 29 project and has advocated for design changes as suggested above.