Mercer County has unveiled its new design for the section of Princeton Hightstown Road/County Road 571 between Cranbury and Wallace roads and Clarksville Road — our “Main Street”. The goal is to slow traffic along these 0.7 miles and create a more livable space for all.
Here are some highlights:
– 35 mph speed limit, down from 40 mph. Mercer County says it is constrained from further reducing the speed limit but is open to finding a way to do so. The WWBPA will continue to advocate for speed limits suitable for a “Main Street”.
– 11-foot travel lanes instead of 12-foot lanes along the entire section to help reduce travel speeds. There also will be a consistent center two-way turn lane, like on Canal Pointe Boulevard. The narrower lanes mean shoulders will be 7 feet wide. Both county and township officials appear to be in agreement that this can later be upgraded to a 2-foot buffer and 5-foot bike lane with just an extra line of paint. We are told that restrictions on changing the use of federal funds prevent Mercer County from making the change now. The WWBPA will continue to advocate for buffered bike lanes.
– 5-foot sidewalks will be continuous on both sides of the road. The exception is where an 8-foot multi-use path will be built from opposite HS South to the 7-Eleven at Alexander Road. Mercer County officials expect this path, open to both walkers and bicyclists, will be popular with HS South students.
– Construction will be in 2 phases. Phase 1 is from Cranbury/Wallace to just before Alexander Road. This section will go out to bid this summer. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2026 and last a year. Phase 2, from just before Alexander Road intersection to Clarksville Road, is expected to be a year behind. Princeton Hightstown Road will remain open to traffic and access to businesses the entire time, just on one half of the road at a time.
You can see color renderings of what the road will look like here. They also are on display in the lobby of the Municipal Center.