BERKELEY – Route 9 is one of the most important arteries in the region – and one of the oldest. It’s for this reason that any improvement to it is cause for celebration, but any construction causes headaches.
The most recent one involves a project stretching from Beachwood to Lacey.
The work is part of a $9.1 million improvement project that includes lighting, construction of curbs and ramps that are compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, sidewalks, milling and paving of approximately eight miles of Route 9 between Jones Road, Lacey and Longboat Avenue, Beachwood. In addition, traffic signals will be upgraded at 13 intersections.
This is happening at the same time that New Jersey Natural Gas is digging in the road to install new mains.
Local officials urged the New Jersey Department of Transportation to have their contractor pave Route 9 as soon as the gas project was done. As the months grew colder, it was less likely that paving projects were going to get done.
The Berkeley Township Council had pushed the DOT to get their contractor to pave within 30 days of the gas project’s completion. Officials acknowledged that NJNG had delays on their end but they didn’t want the paving to be delayed any more.
Councilman Keith Buscio noted that the state has a very high gasoline tax and that money is supposed to go toward road improvements. However, Berkeley residents don’t often see the result of their gas tax dollars.
Berkeley Business Administrator John Camera said that there is a way for drivers to be reimbursed for damages to their car from construction, because many residents complained about their cars bouncing over the cracks in the road.
At a recent meeting of the Ocean County Commissioners, they passed a resolution demanding the DOT to direct their contractor to pave as soon as possible.
“The road’s an absolute mess,” Commissioner Joseph Vicari said. He said that if a utility company causes the problem, then a utility company should pay for the fix – not taxpayers.
“NJDOT has been in communication with the town over its concerns regarding the condition of Route 9 and a meeting is tentatively scheduled…to clarify some confusion between an unrelated New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) project on Route 9 in Berkeley and NJDOT’s project,” said Steve Schapiro, press manager for the DOT.
NJNG was working on Route 9, which prevented NJDOT from doing work on their project, he said. The gas company has completed its work in Berkeley, although it is still working on Route 9 in other parts of the NJDOT project limits.
“Paving was initially expected to being in the spring of 2022, which was clearly stated in the traffic advisory that was sent in July when the project began,” he said.
Some officials referred to a letter sent to Berkeley from the DOT in October of 2020. It described the project and then said, “NJDOT anticipates beginning our repaving project in the spring of 2021. As an interim measure, NJDOT’s maintenance forces will be paving Rout 9 in certain areas of distress to preserve the roadway until we can begin our improvement project in the spring.”
This timeline was in reference to the start of the project, Schapiro said, which began in July of 2021. He also brought up that the letter does explain that certain areas may be paved in advance of the project’s start, which has happened.
“However, at the request of the town, NJDOT advanced the resurfacing because of the poor condition of the pavement and concerns about the impact a harsh winter may have on the roadway,” he said.
“We are pleased the DOT heard our legitimate concerns and have expedited the Route 9 paving project,” Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato said. “Motorists need to understand that this project needed to done ASAP. This project will cause some disruption (the first week) as some work needs to be done during the day hours.
“As a part of our commitment to safety and reliability, New Jersey Natural Gas upgraded its delivery system with a new 12” steel main from Flint Road to Serpentine on Route 9,” NJNG spokesman Michael Kinney said. “The new main replaced an existing pipeline that was originally installed in the 1950s. Work on the project began in the spring of 2020. There were some early delays at the start of the project due to COVID-19 and the implementation of new protocols designed to ensure the safety of our employees, customers and the community during the pandemic. Work was completed the first week of September 2021, allowing DOT to commence with its paving project this fall.”
Paving Schedule
Daytime closures began on Monday, November 1 to prepare for paving, which was scheduled to take place at night beginning on Thursday, November 4.
The timing of this project is scheduled to change due to factors such as the weather. As of right now, the schedule is as follows:
From 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. and continuing Monday through Friday nights for approximately three weeks, the southbound lane on Route 9 is scheduled to be closed with alternating traffic using the northbound lane for milling and paving. Work will begin near Longboat Avenue and progress south to approximately the bridge over Cedar Creek. Once work is complete on the southbound lane, the northbound lane will be closed with alternating traffic using the southbound lane from the bridge over Cedar Creek to Longboat Avenue. Paving is expected to be completed before Thanksgiving.
Construction updates can be found on 511nj.org.
