Commuter Forecast: Routes 70, 88 & 9 Each Have Projects Underway

Commuters using Route 70 in Brick and Wall, Route 9 in Lacey through Stafford and the Route 88 bridge to Point Pleasant will find construction and new traffic patterns today.

Part of Route 88 Bridge To Be Closed Next Week

The right lane of the eastbound side of the will be closed starting on Monday, but the right lane on the westbound side will be open, according to the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

On Monday morning, DOT’s contractor, Agate Construction, is scheduled to reopen the right lane on Route 88 westbound, returning that side of the highway to the normal two-travel lane configuration. 

The right lane on Route 88 eastbound will then be closed, reducing that side of the highway to one lane over the bridge, the DOT announced in a prepared statement.

At the Route 88 eastbound intersection with Herbertsville Road/Beaver Dam Road, the right lane will be temporarily converted to a right-turn-only lane and the left lane will handle through traffic over the bridge.

This new traffic pattern is expected to remain in place for approximately two to three weeks.  The original traffic pattern is expected to be fully restored on Route 88 in April.

Route 70 Repaving from Wall to Lakewood

The state Department of Transportation will begin a $6.9 million resurfacing project on parts of beginning on Monday, officials said.

The DOT on Monday will begin roadwork on about eight miles of Route 70 from Wall to Lakewood, according to a release.

The project is expected to continue through the summer. There will be no lane shutdowns on summer weekends, the release said.Tilcon Inc., DOT’s contractor, will begin work to the road’s shoulder on Monday, with lane closures to begin on Tuesday, the release said.

Resurfacing operations will require overnight single lane closures on Route 70 in both directions between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.  During the summer, no lanes will be closed on weekends, the release said.

The project will resurface an almost seven-mile stretch of Route 70 in both directions from west of milepost 50.8 to eastern end of Route 70 in Wall Township, the release said.

The DOT will also replace the Route 70 bridge decks over the South Branch of the Metedeconk River, located within the project limits in Brick.  The bridge repair work is expected to start in mid-March and will require traffic shifts on Route 70, the release said.

 Route 9 resurfacing in Stafford through Lacey

Work will begin immediately on a long-awaited project in southern Ocean County, including a 1.5-mile stretch in Lacey, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Approximately eleven miles of Route 9's north and southbound lanes, stretching from north of Route 72 in Stafford Township to north of Lakeside Drive in Lacey Township, will be resurfaced as part of the $7.5 million project, according to the NJDOT.

The DOT said Cliffwood Beach-based DeFino Contracting Company will begin to repave shoulders immediately, and work on traffic lanes will begin in early spring. Mainline work will be done at night, according to DOT Commissioner James Simpson. 

Included in the project are improvements to the intersection of Route 9 and Barnegat Boulevard, including new signs and left-turn signals, DOT spokesman Timothy Greeley said.

The intersection had been slated for redesign following complaints from local officials who said the area was dangerous and frequently had backups. A DOT study of the spot revealed the need for signal modification, Greeley said.