The Princeton Engineering Department’s plan to improve Terhune Road has swung into action in the last week. The project area includes Terhune Road between North Harrison Street and Grover Ave (map). This area includes several major new apartment complexes that were built to meet state fair housing laws, including “The Alice”, “Avalon Princeton Circle”, and “Princeton Senior Living”. The work will bring significant safety improvements and facilities for walkers and cyclists.
As shown in the construction schematic below, new 5-foot bike lanes will be added on both sides of Terhune Road in the project area. These bike lanes will connect to a short protected bike lane that was recently installed on North Harrison Street, and where more bike lanes are planned (Report: North Harrison Street Improvements Set To Begin Between Nassau St and Franklin Ave, With Bicycle Improvements To Follow). The path on the north side of Terhune Road will also be upgraded to 8-foot width. Two intersections will be improved, one at the intersection of Grover Avenue, and another at the ‘New Road’ that provides an entranceway to “The Alice”, and which will eventually connect through to the Princeton Shopping Center.
The ‘New Road’ is rumored to be getting the name ‘Magnolia Terrace’, although there has been no official announcement about that yet. Either way, this intersection will become a ‘raised intersection’, meaning that walkers will cross the road at sidewalk level. The raised intersection will also act as a traffic calming feature. To further reduce vehicle speeds, an ‘island’ made of Belgian blocks is proposed for the east side of the intersection. Roadway widths for motorized vehicles will be 11-ft in each direction.
The project is funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Neighbors were briefed about the project in February. Construction staging was supposed to begin in April but has apparently been delayed slightly. The bulk of the work is scheduled for the period between June and October, and road closures are expected during that time.
Related materials: (via princetonnj.gov)
walkableprinceton 
When writing about the new apartment and townhouse developments in the shopping center neighborhood, it’s important to avoid suggesting that they were caused by the municipality’s need to build affordable housing. The municipality could have chosen to have arranged for the construction of far fewer, 100% affordable, developments instead. In fact, only one of the Thanet Circle developments is 100% affordable, and is restricted to seniors.