The Impact on Traffic
Anyone who regularly uses Stockton Street (Route 206), Elm Road, Mercer (Princeton Pike) or Alexander Streets as primary routes in and out of Princeton already knows that during commute hours these streets come to a virtual standstill.
The permitted ratio of 1.1 vehicles per unit for this project means an additional 261 automobiles or other vehicles of various sizes to this part of town - roughly an eight-fold increase in the number of vehicles in a neighborhood already afflicted by unsustainable traffic problems.
On Stockton Street (206) daily traffic backs up from the Nassau Street intersection to Lovers Lane, causing bumper-to-bumper congestion on adjacent streets like Elm Road. Traffic turning left or right from Alexander Street onto Mercer Street routinely backs up to the circle near McCarter Theatre. Now imagine an additional 261 cars turning on to these two major thoroughfares.
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The developer's plan includes exactly one road in and out of this new complex. And that road empties on Stockton Street.
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A contiguous stream of traffic on the corner of Stockton (Route 206) and Edgehill Streets. Traffic backs up from Library Place traffic signal to Elm Road traffic signal, making entrance or exit on to Stockton Street virtually impossible. Weekday morning, July 2025.
Proposed "new road" as sole entrance/exit onto Stockton (206) for 261 more vehicles.
For context, there are already two traffic lights within 0.3 miles on this stretch of Stockton Street between the Elm Road and Library Place intersections which causes standstill traffic at peak commute times. Residents on Hibben, Edgehill, and Campbleton Roads already have considerable difficulty turning onto Stockton. Now consider an 261 additional cars with Route 206 as a sole entry and exit.
Aerial view of Stockton Street (206) between Elm Road and Library Place. Note traffic lights within 0.3 miles at Elm and Library. Arrow indicates sole car entry/exit for Stockton Development. Red circles mark high congestion intersections with Stockton.
The obvious cut-through for traffic needing to get to Mercer or Alexander Streets is Edgehill Street, Princeton's narrowest and shortest residential street, as well as one of its oldest. Speeding cut-through traffic on this tiny 20 MPH street has already resulted in residents petitioning for two speed bumps, after a neighbor's parked car was demolished by a speeding Princetonian. There is a strong possibility that the developer will open a second "new road" disgorging traffic onto Edgehill would make it impossible for residents to safely exit their driveways.Those additional vehicles whose routes in and out of Princeton include Mercer or Alexander Streets will bring already gridlocked traffic to a complete standstill. Residents on Library Place, Campbelton, Armour Road, and Hodge Road should expect more drivers to use them as cut-throughs. ​The congestion from this additional traffic will have cascading effects across town.