Route 9 Lanes to Close Overnight for Parkway Deck Repairs

Route 9 lane closures begin tonight for parkway deck repairs under mile 83.

The bridge deck repairs over Routes 9 and 166 for Garden State Parkway mile 83 will shutter portions of the highway overnight starting Oct. 17. The lane closures are expected to continue through Oct. 26, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Construction crews will close lanes of Route 9 and 166 in Toms River starting at 9 p.m. tonight.

Both north and southbound traffic underneath the overpasses that make up Exit 83 will be affected. The undersides of the bridges need work, and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and DOT will close lanes to make repairs, DOT spokesperson Timothy Greeley said.

Drivers should note construction crews and traffic cones in the area, with a traffic merge on portions of Route 9 and 166 near the ramps to Exit 83 by Briar Knoll and Route 571 in Toms River.

NJTA’s contractor, I.E.W., will work on one of the existing two travel lanes on Route 9 northbound and Route 166 southbound at a time, Greeley said.

The single lane-closures will take place from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning and are scheduled to continue each weeknight through Friday, Oct. 26.  No lane closures are anticipated over the weekend.

Greeley said the work is part of an ongoing $6 million Turnpike Authority bridge repair project is expected to be complete in December.

Exit 83 was recently reconfigured to add Lomell Lane and a Route 571 access road, but the older adjacent overpasses need repair. Specifically, crews will work on the underside of the decks, Greeley said.

However, a NJTA project planned for miles 83-100 will eventually see crews at work on the bridges again to widen the shoulders of the parkway, and adjacent overpasses would be rebuilt as part of the project, which is unrelated to the repairs that start this week.

Greeley said the precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors.  Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for construction updates and real-time travel information.