Major Project Will Improve Route 70 in Brick, Toms River Into 2022

The former Brick Foodtown site on Route 70, Oct. 2018. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Construction crews on Tuesday began a multi-month effort to improve the pavement, safety features and drainage on Route 70 through all of Ocean County, including major intersections locally.

The $12.9 million project by the state Department of Transportation will include the installation of advance warning signs, silt fencing, and inlet filters along the highway. Shoulder closures will be set up in multiple locations simultaneously and will move within the project area as required. Milling and paving will begin in the spring 2021. The state DOT will provide advance notice of any additional lane or ramp closures, the agency told Shorebeat. The scope of the project includes the area from Dakota Trail in Pemberton, Burlington County to Riverview Drive on the Brielle side of the Sept. 11 Memorial Bridge in Brick.

The project includes specific designs to increase safety at six intersections and improve more than 14 miles of deteriorated pavement in the three counties. In addition to milling and paving, the project will include concrete work for curbs and sidewalks, as well as ADA-compliant ramps. New guiderail will be installed, drainage improvements will be made, and traffic signal updates will be made at the following intersections:

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• Orchard Street – Lakehurst
• Colonial Drive – Manchester Township
• Buckingham Drive – Manchester Township
• Whitesville Road/CR 527 – Toms River Township
• Massachusetts Ave – Toms River Township
• Airport Road – Lakewood Township

The project area is divided into four sections: Woodland and Pemberton in Burlington County; Manchester, Ocean County; continuing from Manchester through Lakehurst, Toms River, and Lakewood, Monmouth County; and Brick, Ocean County through Brielle, Monmouth County.  The project is expected to be completed in fall 2022.

Construction and shoulder closures officially began Tuesday, and will continue daily Monday through Friday throughout the winter. NJDOT’s contractor, Earle Asphalt, is scheduled to close the shoulder at various locations and announce them in advance as work progresses.

Variable message signs are being utilized to provide advance notification of all traffic pattern changes associated with the project. The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors, the DOT said. Updates will be posted on the DOT’s 511 traffic information website.