Route
29 Study
Mercer
County
Background
Route 29 in Trenton, New Jersey is a
limited access, high-speed urban freeway
that currently cuts off the waterfront
to the downtown area. Traffic congestion
and motorists traveling at excessive
speeds on Route 29 have led to a high
number of accidents for this section
of roadway. The conversion of Route
29 |
Route 29 as it exists
today |
from
an urban freeway to an urban
boulevard may eliminate a
number of these safety concerns
and improve the integration
of the road with the surrounding
urban environment by lowering
the speed limit, installing
traffic signals, providing pedestrian
crosswalks, connecting side streets
and enhancing access to the waterfront. Project
description
A feasibility study of the southern section
of Route 29 Boulevard between the Richey
Place/Calhoun Street interchange and
the Cass Street intersection was initiated
by the New Jersey Department of Transportation
(NJDOT) in 2007 as part of a shared vision
among state and local entities to revitalize
downtown Trenton and reconnect the city
to its waterfront. The feasibility assessment
report, completed in February 2009 evaluated
the potential replacement of the existing
freeway with an urban boulevard that
would easily blend in with the city's
surrounding context.
The NJDOT strived to work
collectively with the Capital
City Redevelopment Corporation
(CCRC), City of Trenton
and other stakeholders
in evaluating and developing
a design alternative for
Route 29 that would best
achieve the wide variety
of goals and objectives
of its many stakeholders.
These goals included:
- Maximizing safe physical
and visual connections
between the community
and the Delaware Riverfront.
- Strengthening established
neighborhoods and the
capital district.
- Facilitating redevelopment
of underutilized land
within the capital district.
- Creating a context
sensitive network of
streets and open spaces.
- Providing safe and
convenient modal choices
to encourage the use
of transit, cycling and
walking.
- Accommodating motorists
in a safe manner at reduced
speeds.
After consultation with
key stakeholders and other
community members, the
Route 29 Inland Alternative
was selected as the preferred
alternative. Urban design
guidelines and
engineering/design
improvement details
for the preferred
alternative are described
in the study document.
A joint coordination
committee co-led
by the City of Trenton
and the CCRC will
be formed to move
the project forward
from the study phase
to reality.
Project
status
The Route 29 Feasibility Assessment Report
was completed in February 2009 along
with the Trenton and CCRC marketing study.
Land use decisions by prospective
developers in conjunction
with city planners will be the key factor
in determining the extent of future transportation
improvements for
Route 29. |
Preferred
alternative concept
for Route 29 Boulevard,
north of Market
Street - landscaped
median is sized
to provide space
for future light
rail transit line. |
NJFITness
goals advanced by the Route
29 Study are rated on a
scale of one to three stars,
with three stars indicating
the most strongly pursued:
The
NJFIT tools that are
most applicable to this
project are starred:
|
