NJDOT opens improved Route 70 and
Massachusetts Avenue intersection in Toms River

(Trenton)– Commissioner Kris Kolluri today announced that the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) on July 9 opened to traffic the newly improved Route 70 at Massachusetts Avenue intersection in Toms River, Ocean County.

NJDOT widened Route 70 in order to provide two travel lanes and a shoulder in each direction. The new intersection features two through-lanes with a channelized right lane and an exclusive left-turn lane on the eastbound and westbound sides of Route 70. Massachusetts Avenue consists of two through-lanes and one exclusive left-turn lane in each direction. The two existing traffic signals have been modified to conform to the redesigned intersection.

NJDOT’s $5 million intersection improvement project will improve safety and reduce congestion by widening and reconstructing Route 70 between milepost 48.75 and milepost 49.55 and approximately 600 feet of Massachusetts Avenue on each side of Route 70.

NJDOT began the project in May 2007 and is scheduled to complete construction in November 2008. Remaining work on the project includes paving and traffic signal construction at the intersection of Lake Ridge Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue. Traffic will be maintained in all directions during construction.

NJDOT installed Variable Message Signs on Route 70 to inform motorists of any change in traffic patterns during construction. Real time travel and construction information is available online at www.njcommuter.com and www.511nj.org.