If one were to start driving southbound along Rte 29 starting in Frenchtown, you would enjoy a beautiful scenic small tree lined highway running along the D&R canal.  Unfortunately this scenic byway turns into the ill- conceive poorly-planned four lane limited access highway south of Scudders Falls to its terminus south of Trenton on I-295.   Built on a 100 year flood plain, Rte29 cut off the western section of the city from the riverfront, and essentially destroyed Stacey Park, a sliver of which is left along the western  edge of the highway.  The major part of this transformation was begun in the late 1950’s and extended in the 1970’s. A concise version of the history and debate over the planning and execution of the expansion of Rte 29 can be found here:

https://ejhistory.com/the-merchants-of-trenton/

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Glen Afton has the dubious distinction of having Rte 29 actually bisect the neighborhood. Route 29 northbound splits Glen Afton  leaving the western portion of the neighborhood cut off from the rest of Glen Afton with houses lining both sides of “highway" (see the map on the left).  This area is known as the Glen Afton Island or occasionally the “Rib-Eye (based on the appearance of its border f). In fact, you could argue that the current design of Rte 29 though Glen Afton has the greatest direct negative impact to residents than it does to any other area in the City.   Here is an overhead view of this section of Rte 29., with northbound lanes indicated by Sanhican Dr. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High speed traffic runs literally 10 yards from people’s front door. Although there is a theoretical 40 mph speed limit (which is never enforced), housing density and proximity of the traffic suggests it should be reclassified as thickly settled and have a significantly reduced and enforceable speed limit.  Currently, the traffic uses that section of Route 29 as an on ramp, driving well over the speed limit only yards from the front doors of the homes along that section of Rte 29.  Multiple accident have and do occur along this stretch at a regular  intervals. This poses multiple safety risks such as 

 

1. There are homes with small children playing in their yards near this traffic 

2. There are no cross walks, signals or means of pedestrians getting across the street to the rest of the neighborhood, stores and recreational areas such as D&R State Park as is mandated by state law.

3. People risk life and limb just trying to get in and out of their driveways. 

4. City and County municipal workers (sanitation and recycling) are at risk, trying to do their jobs while the traffic attempts to whiz by them at highway speeds.   

 

This situation is a fatality waiting to happen. 

 

Glen Afton, unfortunately, did not become actively involved in the initial design of the expanded Rte 29.  Beginning in the 1970’s, the neighborhood association began explicitly opposing  the configuration of Rte 29.  The testimony of the association leaders at the time is documented in the Mayor Holland Archives at the Trenton Library.  The association explicitly opposed the high-speed, limited-access configuration, arguing that it cut off the neighborhood from historic water access like the D&R Canal and the Delaware River and brought heavy industrial and commuter noise directly to the doorsteps of Glen Afton’s residential streets. They requested lowering speed limits, installing barriers, or utilizing a surface-street design, which went ignored by state engineers at the time.

 

Fast forward to approximately 2010,  where the “Boulevard”  project was introduced is an admirable effort by the City to finally correct the mistakes in the design of Rte 29 that cut off the city neighborhoods from the riverfront.  This project initially stopped at the intersection of Sullivan Way and Rte 29 and did not include Glen Afton. GACA was working with CCRC  at that time to have the project extended through Glen Afton to the City limits. The association presented it’s ideas and  proposed several solutions as outlined in the letter linked below.

​​Rte29_Letter_02Apr2010

 

​​Letters of support were received from elected officials such a Senetor Shirley Turner, However plans in this project never came to fruition.

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Since then different versions of the original boulevard project have been attempted to be resurrected. Including a current proposal (grant proposal, USDOT-RCP-FY22) that only included a small section of Rte 29  and did not consider the issues outlined above for Glen Afton. 

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As documented above, GACA has been trying to have a productive conversation about remediating this situation with NJDOT for at least 50 years with no willingness on NJDOTs part to discuss the issue. We have put forward multiple proposals for remediation with no response.  We have been unable to even get a meeting NJDOT traffic engineers to discuss current state of the Rte 29 and paths forward.  I suggest if anyone reading this has contacts in NJDOT or a path forward with them, please let us know.  GACA will to continue to work for the residents for remediation of Rte 29.  and to make Glen Afton a safer and better neighborhood. .