The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 6 for an intersection improvement project known as The Crossroads of Monmouth County at Route 34 and Route 537. 
A rendering shows the plans for The Crossroads of Monmouth intersection improvement project in Colts Neck.
By Sunayana Prabhu
COLTS NECK – Monmouth County officials hosted a groundbreaking Nov. 6 for “The Crossroads of Monmouth County,” which will transform a vacant corner property at the intersection of routes 34 and 537 into a designated business district hub in the town – and the marker for the center of the county. The project is in partnership with the Colts Neck Business Association (CNBA).
Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, along with fellow county commissioners and officials, hosted the Thursday groundbreaking, which included the installation of a sign on the corner lot displaying the county’s partnership with CNBA. The property was formerly occupied by an Exxon gas station; the corner will now be beautified with shrubs and plants in addition to a large spruce at the center to enhance the intersection.
Arnone reiterated the county’s commitment to preserve open space, especially after voters passed a referendum on the ballot during last week’s general election. The measure approved an increase in the county’s dedicated open space trust fund tax rate from 2.75 cents to 3.75 cents per $100 of equalized property valuation.
“The Crossroads of Monmouth is a strong example of our ongoing commitment to preserving open space and promoting natural beauty throughout the county. Last year, we preserved more than 1,200 acres across Monmouth County,” Arnone said.
The county didn’t respond by press time regarding the cost estimate for the Crossroads project.
Ellias Sarrinikolaou, senior landscape architect with the Monmouth County Department of Public Works, designed the project and the sign. The renderings were completed in coordination with the Monmouth County Division of Engineering, and the sign was constructed by the Monmouth County Park System.
Sarrinikolaou noted the landscape project emerged during the pandemic after the gas station left the site bare and the property was then purchased by the county. It was remediated and cleaned up and left open for a few years. Soon, the Monmouth County Highway Division will be installing a large holiday evergreen tree in the center of the landscape.
State Route 34 and County Route 537 serve as primary thoroughfares in the county. Route 537 runs horizontally on the map from western Monmouth County east to the coast, while Route 34 cuts vertically across the county, coming down from Old Bridge and passing through Holmdel and Colts Neck to Brielle in the southeastern corner of the county.
“This is the center of our business district,” Glen Dalakian, board member of the CNBA, said during the groundbreaking ceremony, noting that area businesses have always called the junction “the crossroads business district” because the intersection falls at “the crossroads of Colts Neck, which is a center of the county.”
Moreover, Dalakian noted, “We don’t have a downtown. We have our own town hall in that area. But the real business district is Route 34 here and Route 537,” scattered in pockets near the junction.
The CNBA serves over 200 members from Monmouth and Ocean counties. The official sign at the intersection will “definitely be a nice eye piece for people to come into town,” Dalakian said.
The article originally appeared in the November 13 – 19, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
