NJDOT Resurfacing Project Begins

Work will begin immediately on a long-awaited Route 9 resurfacing project in southern Ocean County, including a 3.4-mile stretch in Barnegat, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Approximately eleven miles of Route 9's north and southbound lanes, stretching from north of Route 72 in Stafford Township to north of Lakeside Drive in Lacey Towship, will be resurfaced as part of the $7.5 million project, according to the NJDOT.

DOT spokesman Timothy Greeley said that in 2009, the Statewide Pavement Management System, which analyzes road data to pinpoint areas in need of rehabilitation, indicated the stretch of Route 9 was a candidate for resurfacing.

Within a year and a half, the project was designed, advertised and awarded, he said, which is "a pretty quick turnaround for the start of a major resurfacing project such as this."

Work will begin on the north end of the targeted stretch of highway and work south, Greeley said.

In its Thursday statement, the DOT said Cliffwood Beach-based DeFino Contracting Company will begin to repave shoulders immediately, and work on traffic lanes will begin in early spring. Mainline work will be done at night, according to DOT Commissioner James Simpson. 

"Every effort will be made to minimize any negative impacts to the local businesses, property owners and motorists that utilize this stretch of Route 9," Simpson said in the release.

Included in the project are improvements to the intersection of Route 9 and Barnegat Boulevard, including new signs and left-turn signals, Greeley said.

The intersection had been slated for redesign following complaints from local officials who said the area was dangerous and frequently had backups. A DOT study of the spot revealed the need for signal modification, Greeley said.

Rather than resurface Route 9 and then dig up the new pavement a year later to lay the electrical wiring for the new traffic signal, Greeley said the department folded the projects together.

"It certainly made a lot of sense to include those improvements within this contract," he said.

After completion of the project, there will be a left turn arrow for traffic turning onto Route 9 north and south from Barnegat Boulevard, said Greeley.

Barnegat Township Administrator David Breeden said officials were glad to hear the long-awaited resurfacing would also bring a bonus of better-managed downtown traffic.

"We've been saying for months now that the intersection needs to be inhanced to improve safety," he said, "so we're very happy."