North Olden Avenue Multimodal Access & Safety

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PHASE: Preliminary Engineering

PURPOSE AND NEED:

The purpose of the project is to improve safety, traffic operations and mobility for all users of the N. Olden Avenue corridor including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users.

BACKGROUND:

N. Olden Avenue functions as an Urban Minor Arterial through Ewing Township and the City of Trenton. Between Pennington Road and Capitol Plaza, N. Olden Avenue consists of two (2) lanes in each direction with a two-way left-turn median lane. In the vicinity of Capitol Plaza, the northbound and southbound directions of N. Olden Avenue are divided by a grass median. East of Princeton Avenue, the roadway consists of one (1) lane in each direction with on-street parking.

The following eight (8) signalized intersections are located within the project limits along N. Olden Avenue:

Pennington Road (Route 31)
Capitol Plaza Driveway
Parkside Avenue
Princeton Avenue
Prospect Street
Brunswick Avenue
Arctic Parkway
New York Avenue

Additionally, there are 12 unsignalized intersections or alleys within the project limits. The majority of the unsignalized intersections are located between New York Avenue and Princeton Avenue within the City of Trenton.

Access driveways are prevalent along the corridor, with many commercial properties having multiple and/or wide access points. The unsignalized driveway to the Mercer County Transfer Station experiences heavy truck traffic throughout the day, which can cause congestion and circulation issues along N. Olden Avenue in the vicinity of the driveway. On-street parking is permitted within the City of Trenton, which can impede both traffic flow and pedestrian movements when parked vehicles block the sidewalk.

Heavy pedestrian and bicycle traffic is prevalent along the entire N. Olden Avenue corridor. At the Princeton Avenue signalized intersection, considerable pedestrian crossings in conjunction with heavy truck traffic and congestion result in difficult conditions for pedestrians to cross the roadway. Pedestrians were also observed crossing at signalized intersections, crossing at midblock locations along the corridor, and utilizing the median center left turn lane as a makeshift pedestrian refuge. Pedestrian use of the median center left turn lane was observed to impede vehicle turning movements into/out of access driveways. Bicyclists were observed traveling along N. Olden Avenue where no outside shoulder exists, utilizing the sidewalk, riding against the flow of traffic, and crossing at midblock locations. Sidewalks are present along the majority of N. Olden Avenue; however, utility poles, signs and fire hydrants located within the sidewalk width impede pedestrian movements at various locations. High travel speeds were also observed throughout the Ewing Township section of N. Olden Avenue, further contributing to bicycle, pedestrian and access concerns.

N.Olden Avenue serves both commuter traffic and traffic destined for the various commercial establishments located along the corridor. Within Ewing Township, PM peak hour traffic volumes exceed 1,000 vehicles per hour (vph) in each direction. Within the City of Trenton where the roadway is reduced to one (1) lane in each direction, PM peak hour traffic volumes still exceed 600 vph in each direction with traffic volumes increasing approaching the New York Avenue intersection. Traffic analyses indicate that the signalized intersections operate at overall LOS C or better during the AM and PM peak hours, with some left-turn movements operating at LOS F.

Field observations indicate that congestion exists on N. Olden Avenue between Princeton Avenue and New York Avenue due to several factors such as: reduction to one lane in each direction, on-street parking, school drop-off/pick-up traffic at the Paul Robeson Charter School, and significant heavy truck traffic.

The combination of heavy pedestrian and bicycle traffic and high traffic volumes contribute to a significant crash history along N. Olden Avenue. During the 3-year period from 2016 to 2018, 402 vehicular crashes (not involving pedestrians or bicycles) were reported along N. Olden Avenue within the project area. Approximately 40% were Same Direction-Rear End crashes, which is slightly higher than the County average of 33%. Same Direction Sideswipe, Right Angle, Left Turn and Encroachment crashes also exceeded the County average. 26% crashes also resulted in Injuries, which is higher than the County average of 25%. Right Angle crashes were reported at several signalized intersections (Parkside Avenue, Prospect Street, and Brunswick Avenue) and various commercial driveways along the corridor. Same Direction-Sideswipe crashes were also prevalent adjacent to signalized intersections and in the vicinity of commercial driveways.

In addition, 23 pedestrian and bicycle crashes were also reported in the 5-year period from 2014 to 2018. Eight (8) bicycle and pedestrian crashes occurred at or near the Parkside Avenue intersection, including two (2) at the intersection, one (1) just west of the intersection at the PNC Bank driveway, one (1) east of the intersection near Sparkling Pools, and four (4) near the driveways at Wendy’s and Boston Market. Three (3) pedestrian crashes and one (1) bicycle crash were reported at or near the Princeton Avenue intersection.

In 2008 the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) studied network improvements to relieve congested choke-points in the vicinity of the Trenton Farmers Market, including extending Calhoun Street through a new intersection on Olden Ave to Capitol Plaza, now included in master plans of Mercer County, the City of Trenton, and Ewing Township. In 2010, after screening high crash locations throughout Mercer County, DVRPC organized a multi-agency roadway safety audit that also developed recommendations for the segment between Arctic and Parkside. In its 2011 Olden Avenue Redevelopment Plan, Ewing Township made recommendations for improvements to North Olden Avenue as its main commercial corridor.

In 2014, Mercer County applied for federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds for modest intersection improvements that would permit narrowing travel lanes and adding bikeable shoulders. NJDOT rejected this application, arguing that more substantial improvements to pedestrian facilities are necessary. As a result of this rejection and comments from NJDOT, Mercer County successfully applied for a grant to study more substantive safety and congestion improvements to the N Olden Ave corridor.

In late 2020, Mercer County completed Concept Development for multimodal improvements to North Olden Avenue (CR 622) from New York Avenue (US 1 interchange) to Pennington Road (NJ 31). The Preliminary Preferred Alternative has now advanced to Preliminary Engineering with funds from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DB# D2014), with construction of this ambitious project expected to begin in 2026-2027, depending on phasing and a variety of other factors.

PROPOSAL:

A Preliminary Preferred Alternative was developed as part of the Concept Development Study. The Preliminary Preferred Alternative is focused above all on safe travel for all users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. To accomplish this, with minimal disruption to adjacent property and public utilities, the center left turn lane through most of the corridor will be replaced with a curbed, landscaped median and through travel lanes will be narrowed to accommodate buffered bicycle lanes and wider sidewalks. While the barrier median eliminates the hazards of left turns, access is preserved by U-turns at modern roundabouts at currently signalized intersections at Parkside Avenue (CR 635), Prospect Street (CR 627), Arctic Parkway (CR 639), and at Capitol Plaza. The Capitol Plaza roundabout provides left turn egress from the shopping center onto Olden Avenue for the first time since its original construction in the 1960s and also will accommodate a future connection to an extension of Calhoun Street (CR 653).

The 18-month Preliminary Engineering phase of the project will advance the concept to detailed design so that project impacts will be fully known. A Final Design phase will determine how the work will actually be done. For project funding information, please visit the project page on the website of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

For questions and concerns not answered by the 1000 pages of project documentation linked below, please email Matthew Lawson [mlawson@mercercounty.org], Principal Planner-Transportation or Caitlin Skocypec [cskocypec@mercercounty.org], Principal Engineer, Traffic.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

The goals and objectives of the project are identified below. The Preliminary Preferred Alternative will be developed to satisfy as many goals and objectives as possible.

Improve pedestrian and bicycle compatibility along N. Olden Avenue where feasible
Comply with Mercer County, Ewing Township and City of Trenton Complete Streets Policies
Reduce/eliminate barriers to pedestrian, bicyclist and transit user mobility along the corridor
Reduce heavy truck traffic impacts within the project limits
Improve traffic operations at signalized intersections where feasible
Minimize environmental, social and economic impacts along the corridor
Minimize ROW impacts to the extent feasible
Provide access management along the corridor to the extent possible
Correct controlling substandard design elements where feasible
Minimize disruptions to traffic operations during construction
Maintain access to adjacent properties at all times during construction
Minimize road user costs during construction to the extent feasible