New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials, along with State Senator Shirley Turner (D-15) and Lambertville Mayor Julia Fahl, today celebrated the completion of a Route 29 safety improvement project that addresses a concern the town has discussed for nearly 20 years.

Two weeks ago, NJDOT completed a road diet that reduced a portion of Route 29 between Swan Road and the south end of Lambertville from two lanes to one to improve safety for motorists, bicyclists,and pedestrians.

In addition to restriping the roadway to implement the road diet, a proven traffic calming design, that stretch of Route 29 was resurfaced.

“The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Commitment to Communities is all about working with local officials to improve the quality of life for our residents and those who travel through our state,” Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “This safety improvement project on a portion of Route 29 is a perfect example of how NJDOT gets things done. The project has been a priority for Lambertville for nearly 20 years. In just a few months working together, NJDOT, Mayor Julia Fahl and Sen. Shirley Turner, found a cost effective way to complete the improvements before the start school year to make the roadway safer for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.”

In addition to the restriping to reduce traffic to one lane, U-turns will be restricted to two locations–one at Weeden Street and another at the first cut out in the median when driving north. There will be dedicated U-turn lanes to help prevent queuing if a vehicle is waiting to make a U-turn. New stop signs also were installed in two places. The first is on South Main Street at Mount Hope Street. The second stop sign replaced the yield sign for traffic turning left from Route 29 northbound onto Mount Hope Street.

The project also created a total of approximately 50 designated parking spots on both sides of Route 29. The dedicated parking spaces will particularly benefit residents on the northbound side of Route 29 allowing room to park safely.

“The Route 29 Improvement Project is an incredible example of state and local government working together on practical and effective solutions that will directly improve the quality of life for residents of Lambertville,” Fahl said. “Having safe streets impacts our whole community-especially residents whose front doors face right onto this four-lane speedway which runs through the heart of our city. Our community has been talking about improving pedestrian safety and slowing traffic on Route 29 for almost 20 years. Moving from talk to action has been one of my priorities and I am proud to have found willing partners in Governor Murphy and Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti.”