| OCR Text |
Show INTRODUCTION Central Jersey, located at the juncture of Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties, is a hub of office and residential development. During the 1980's, the US 1 Corridor, which is the heart of the area, was nationally recognized as one of the premier high-growth areas in the United States. Substantial development is still occurring with the consolidation of Merrill Lynch offices in Hopewell Township, the expansion of Bristol-Myers Squibb, the development of the Sarnoff and Wyeth (formerly American Cyanamid) sites in West Windsor Township, and the potential long-term expansions of Princeton University and the Princeton Forrestal Center. In the 1980's, the US 1 Corridor Study, a cooperative effort of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the counties, and municipalities, developed a series of recommendations to improve traffic flow on US 1. While most of the recommendations have been implemented, some of the remaining projects have become controversial. In 1997, when the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) was conducting the congestion management study for the Millstone Bypass, municipal officials and public citizens expressed the belief that inadequate attention was being given to the transportation issues in Central Jersey. They felt that because the region encompasses multiple municipalities, portions of three counties and two metropolitan planning organizations, there was a lack of coordination among the different entities responsible for addressing their transportation concerns. As a consequence, DVRPC and NJDOT agreed to create the Central Jersey Transportation Forum. This Executive Summary presents the findings and conclusions of the initial phase of the Forum. More detailed information on all elements of Forum activities is provided in a separate report. |
