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Next Round Of Route 70 Improvements Set To Begin
By Catherine Galioto
Route 70 traffic should get some relief, as the state confirmed its commitment to projects targeting traffic flow along one of Brick's busiest stretches of highway.
For years township officials have sought help on how to improve the major state road that sends tens of thousands of vehicles daily through town. Now, money has been sent to the township to complete re-striping in one of the worst intersections in town.
"The money came through," Township Administrator Scott Pezarras said.
Route 70 projects need state approval, and that has meant delays. Local officials have criticized the state for being slow to recognize needed changes to Route 70.
Originally, the township council planned to pay upfront for improvements totaling $2.2 million. The idea was that the township could put the wheels in motion faster than the state, despite the state Department of Transportation overseeing the roadway.
But then after meetings with state officials, the township learned the state would take on the projects.
In order to deal with the state and possibly handle projects on its own, the township has laid out a plan that breaks the project into several parts.
Specifically, the Route 70 intersections of Chambersbridge Road, Cedarbridge Road and Brick Boulevard need immediate help, officials said.
This week, Brick accepted $240,000 in state money to target the Chambersbridge intersection, Pezarras said. The state's Transportation Trust Fund, overseen by the DOT, sent nearly a quarter million dollars to add more turning lanes to the section, Pezarras said. That spot will feature re-striping and extension of lanes rather than construction and lane widening, Pezarras said.
The money will pay for an extension of the turn from Route 70 west onto Chambersbridge. Pezarras said vehicles sit through several lights as traffic backs up to Brick Boulevard waiting to turn onto Chambersbridge. The project will extend the turning lane, better managing traffic, Pezarras said.
"It will make the right hand turn more functional," he said.
Pezarras said township officials are now working out when the re-striping crews will begin work. It's a project that shouldn't be too disruptive to traffic, he said, unlike road widening and other construction.
And road widening is not something residents should soon expect. Widening Route 70 is not on the state's or township's list of immediate ways to improve Route 70, Pezarras said. Often it's just not possible to widen a road that runs next to several bodies of water, or becomes a bridge that goes over them. The state instead focuses on better timed traffic lights.
In six breakout projects, Council President Stephen Acropolis explained late last year, the township hopes to focus on re-striping, and adding jughandles or traffic improvements, part of a plan to add new turning lanes and other traffic management tools. Acropolis said the idea is to target the so-called "missing mile" of Route 70, between Chambersbridge Road and Route 88, an area that has become known for its backlog of traffic.
The idea to begin without the state was first discussed last October. At the time, the council planned to add the $2.2 million project to its 2007 capital budget.
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