Route 1 congestion relief pilot project to expand use of shoulder as travel lane in Middlesex County
Additional 4.5-miles of the shoulder will be available during rush hour
South Brunswick Police were advised that the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) will start their expanded efforts to reduce Route 1 congestion tomorrow. The relief pilot project will expand the use of the shoulder as a travel lane during peak morning and evening commuting times in North and South Brunswick. The entire stretch of Route 1 in South Brunswick will now have a third lane to utilize during rush hours.
Starting tomorrow, Thursday, August 22 between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. cars may use the shoulder as a travel lane for a 4.5-mile stretch of Route 1 northbound and southbound from CR 522/Promenade Boulevard/Stouts Lane in South Brunswick to Thomas Avenue, just north of Finnegan’s Lane, in North Brunswick.
Trucks may not use the shoulder as a travel lane. Use of the shoulder will be restricted at all other times.
The temporary project, known as Hard Shoulder Running (HSR), will allow the shoulder to be used as a travel lane during the morning and evening commuting times Monday through Friday for nearly 7 miles from Thomas Avenue to Independence Way. Route 1 is two lanes in this section of the highway, causing delays. The goal of utilizing the shoulder as a travel lane during peak periods is to keep traffic flowing, reduce congestion, and improve safety.
NJDOT successfully implemented a similar project on 2.3 miles of Route 1 in both directions from Independence Way to CR 522/Promenade Boulevard in 2017. The existing HSR section includes several communication features to inform the traveling public about the use of shoulders as travel lanes during peak commuting times. These features include static regulatory and guide signs as well as electronic lane use control signals (green arrow ↓ or red X) to indicate whether the shoulder is open or closed as a travel lane.
Because this is a pilot project, there are only pavement markings and static regulatory and guide signs. After the HSR has been in place for several months, NJDOT will analyze data to determine if the pilot project successfully provided congestion relief during rush hour, without compromising the safety on Route 1.
This work is part of the $6.6 million state-funded Route 1 Hard Shoulder Running pilot project. The project began in June with the widening and milling and paving of the right shoulder within the project limits so it can be used as a travel lane during designated times to improve safety and relieve congestion on Route 1 in Middlesex County. In addition, the project repaired curb and drainage inlets.
Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on X (Twitter) @NewJerseyDOT and on the NJDOT Facebook page.
