By Allison Perrine
MONMOUTH COUNTY – As stay-at-home orders loosen, New Jersey residents may soon venture back onto the roads and travel to places they haven’t in weeks. But when they do, what will have changed?
Some may be surprised to find that road projects in the Two River area have been completed, including the long-anticipated improvements to the Garden State Parkway interchange 109 in the Lincroft section of Middletown. After two years of construction and several additional years of planning, motorists are now experiencing a new and expanded road design.
The project, created by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), was designed to alleviate traffic concerns in the impacted areas, including the north and southbound parkway exits and entrances, Newman Springs Road (Route 520), Schulz Drive and Half Mile Road. The area encompasses residential homes, an Academy Lines bus station, a U.S. Marine Corps facility and a few businesses.
In the past, during peak travel hours, traffic would back up on the parkway from the northbound exit ramp onto Newman Springs Road, according to the NJTA. To address it, the eastbound jug handle at Half Mile Road was eliminated and a new eastbound entrance loop ramp and bridge over Newman Springs Road to the northbound parkway was created.
The full list of improvements to Exit 109 include:
• A new Garden State Parkway entrance loop and bridge over Newman Springs Road, east of the former Garden State Parkway bridges. The new bridge is fed solely by a newly separate lane on Newman Springs Road eastbound from the Garden State Parkway northbound ramp. The ramp, which was used to access Half Mile Road and sometimes circumvent the Newman Springs Road traffic light, was eliminated.
• A signalized intersection at Newman Springs Road and Schulz Drive West was created, which included the relocation of the Garden State Parkway northbound exit left turn to Newman Springs Road westbound at the new intersection.
• Reconfiguration of the Newman Springs Road and Half Mile Road intersection to accommodate for the Newman Springs Road eastbound left turn lane to Half Mile Road.
• Converted Half Mile Road’s southbound left lane at Newman Springs Road from a shared right/left lane to a left turn-only lane.
• Conducted minor widening of Schulz Drive West between Newman Springs Road and Garden State Parkway northbound entrance ramp from Schulz Drive West to provide a new southbound right turn lane onto Newman Springs Road westbound.
Before construction began, the NJTA had public hearings on the plans as they were being created. Many individuals wrote in or spoke to NJTA members about their concerns, as did groups like the Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA). The LVGA, an organization that addresses traffic and safety issues in Lincroft and neighboring areas, wrote to the NJTA in 2018 highlighting its concerns about the plan.
While the group “applaud” the improvements of the new Route 520 East entrance to the parkway and the elimination of the former jug handle at the parkway north exit ramp, members had concerns about traffic conditions and potential safety hazards the project could bring in the Schulz Drive West and Academy bus lot areas. That included the timing of lights on Route 520, traffic queue backups, driver confusion and neighborhood turnarounds and bus stop removal impacts, according to the letter.
This week, when asked for comment on the final outcome of the project, LGVA member Melanie Elmiger told The Two River Times that it is premature to say how the final project turned out, though it does look nicer and is ADA-compliant. The true test to judge how the final project turned out, she said, is when there is “a normal amount” of cars and commuters on the road and buses using the Academy parking lot.
Members of the NJTA did not return requests for comment on the project outcome by press time Wednesday.
East River Road, Rumson
This month, the second phase of East River Road curb and sidewalk improvements kicked off in Rumson. The first phase, awarded to Lancha Construction of Jamesburg, was completed in 2017 on East River Road between Black Point Road and Ridge Road.
Over the next four months, Phase II work will include new concrete curbs, sidewalks, driveway aprons and ADA-accessible curb ramps installed at intersections along East River Road from Black Point Road to Bingham Avenue, according to the borough. Once the project is complete, Monmouth County will resurface East River Road.
While construction is being done, East River Road will be closed daily to through traffic, according to the borough. There will be a detour at the intersections of East River Road and Bingham Avenue and Ridge Road. Residents and local businesses, however, will be able to access the properties along the road, along with emergency personnel.
According to Rumson Borough, there should be a “minimal” daily impact to property owners. However, while new curbs and sidewalks are installed immediately in front of a property or neighboring property, driveway access will be temporarily restricted for about three to five days. Residents are asked at that time to park on the street or outside of the work area.
The article originally appeared in the May 28 – June 3, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
