Parkway Avenue (CR 634) Multimodal & Safety Improvement Project

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Phase: Entering Final Design

Purpose and Need: The purpose of the project is to improve safety, traffic operations and mobility for all users of the Parkway Avenue (CR 634) corridor including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users.

Description:

The project is located along Parkway Avenue (CR 634) between Scotch Road and Pennington Road in Ewing Township and the City of Trenton, Mercer County. Parkway Avenue is classified as an Urban Minor Arterial with a posted speed limit of forty (40) miles per hour between Scotch Road and Parkside Avenue, and thirty-five (35) miles per hour to the north of Parkside. It has a diverse mix of residential, commercial, and institutional zoning areas that requires a multi-modal design approach for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Safety concerns will be addressed throughout the project, focusing on improving intersection safety while providing adequate roadway capacity.

The project will implement the following proven safety measures:

Conversion of the North Olden Avenue intersection into a single-lane roundabout: Roundabouts reduce traffic crashes, eliminate the maintenance and energy costs associated with traffic signals, decrease air pollution by limiting vehicle idle time, and provide traffic calming effects and added pedestrian safety.
Corridor Wide Road Diet: Sections of four-lane road with no shoulders will be modified to two lanes in each direction with a center left-turn lane.
Bike Lanes: Conversion of the road from four lanes to three lanes will provide space for bicycle lanes in each direction.
Two-Way-Left-Turn-Lane (TWLTL): The proposed center left-turn lane will reduce rear end crashes since left-turning vehicles do not need to stop in an active through lane.
Signalized Improvements: At the Lower Ferry Road signalized intersection, improvements include a left-turn only lane on Lower Ferry Road southbound and a right-turn only lane on Parkway Avenue eastbound, which will reduce the delay per vehicle time. Left-turn only phasing will reduce crashes and increase safety. Existing signals at Farral Ave and Parkside Ave will updated to current MUTCD and ADA standards to provide improved congestion relief and safety.
ADA Improvements: Pedestrian needs will be addressed by implementing new pedestrian refuge islands and ADA-compliant sidewalks throughout the project.
Bus stop bump-outs: Nine (9) newly constructed bus stop bump-outs along Parkway Avenue will allow for safer access for bus users as well as less delay time for drivers during bus stop schedules.
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB’s): Addition of RRFB’s and retroreflective pavement markings for crosswalks at unsignalized intersections will improve safety for pedestrians.

Traffic during construction will typically be maintained utilizing lane shifts and alternating one-way traffic with flaggers. Construction of the Olden Avenue roundabout will require road closures with detours. Work that allows only a single-lane or diversion of traffic has been limited to non-peak-hours. Funding for the project is earmarked through the federally funded FHWA Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).

Background: Prior to the initiation of this Safety CD Study, Parkway Avenue has been the focus of several safety and mobility improvement studies, plans, and projects. Documentation, results, and goals from these initiatives were reviewed and considered during the development of alternatives within the study limits.

In January 2013, a General Motors/Naval Air Warfare Center ‐ Parkway Avenue Redevelopment Plan was completed and adopted by Ewing Township. In October 2013, a Trenton Senior Mobility Workshop was conducted at the ECHO, Inc. Senior Center in Trenton. The workshop resulted in a final report which identified safety concerns along Parkway Avenue between Parkside Avenue and Pennington Road and at Parkway Avenue and Olden Avenue along with a matrix of high‐level improvement recommendations.

In July 2014, the Parkway Avenue Redevelopment Area Transportation Study was completed for Mercer County in partnership with Ewing Township under the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) Transportation and Community Development Program. The purpose of the study was to develop a staged transportation plan to meet the mobility needs of the proposed Parkway Avenue Redevelopment Plan and culminated with recommended build concepts that included improvements which impact the Parkway Avenue corridor:

Install southbound left‐turn lane at intersection of Parkway Avenue and Lower Ferry Road
Extend Silvia Street, linking the proposed Ewing Town Center to Parkway Avenue
Implement road diet along Parkway Avenue
Signalized or Roundabout Improvement at Intersection of Parkway Avenue and Scotch Road/Silvia Street
Corridor‐wide bicycle and pedestrian improvements, including bike lanes along Parkway Avenue

In November of 2015, NJDOT initiated a Road Diet Pilot Program which evaluated 99 County route corridors in the Central and South Regions as possible candidates for road diet projects. The committee prioritized two (2) corridors, one in each region, for which Parkway Avenue was selected as the most eligible in Central NJ.

This NJDOT LCD Study was performed through the FHWA Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) in collaboration with project partners Mercer County and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). The project also builds upon previous planning efforts such as the 2013 Parkway Avenue Redevelopment Plan and the 2014 Parkway Avenue Redevelopment Area Transportation Study which focused on the larger Parkway Avenue area.

As part of this LCD Study, existing roadway conditions within the project limits were reviewed and assessed, opportunities and deficiencies were identified, conceptual alternatives were developed and evaluated, and a Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA) was selected to advance to Preliminary Engineering (PE), Final Design (FD), and Construction. The PPA is intended to be further refined and detailed in the PE and FD Phases.

In accordance with the HSIP, the primary goals of the advanced PPA are to improve substantive safety for all roadway users along Parkway Avenue within the project limits, as well as advance a feasible and cost-effective project that meets the applicable design standards, and is supported by the community. Secondary goals of the study include:

Upgrade existing signalized intersections to meet current standards
Upgrade of traffic control and other design elements to include crash countermeasures with quantifiable safety improvements
Upgrade curb ramps to meet ADA standards
Upgrade curbs, sidewalk, and driveways where appropriate
Improvements at area schools (Parkway Elementary School and Ewing High School)
Complete Streets compliance

In September 2017, a section of Parkway Avenue between Lower Ferry Road, MP 2.67, and Olden Avenue, MP 3.2, was converted from a four‐lane undivided cross section with two through lanes in each direction to a four‐lane cross section with a two‐way left turn lane (TWLTL), two eastbound lanes, and one westbound lane.

Current Status: The Parkway Avenue Safety Local Concept Development (LCD) Study was initiated in the latter half of 2017 with the final report released in 2019. As of 2023, the project is moving ahead through Preliminary Engineering and is anticipated to move to Final Design in 2024-2025. Construction start date is TBD.

Please see below for display boards from our most recent Public Information Center:

Additional Resources:

Please click here to view the Concept Development Report for Parkway Avenue, completed in 2019 prior to Preliminary Engineering.

Please click here to find appendices referenced in the report.