NJDOT eliminates Route 35 southbound jughandle ramp to Route 36 eastbound in Eatontown
Milestone reached in ongoing intersection improvements

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced new traffic patterns are in place at the Route 35 intersection with Route 36 as construction progresses on a safety improvement and congestion relief project in Eatontown, Monmouth County.

As of this morning, NJDOT’s contractor, DeFino Contracting Co., has permanently closed the existing Route 35 southbound jughandle ramp to Route 36 eastbound. Two new dedicated left-turn lanes at the intersection will now provide Route 35 southbound motorists with direct access to Route 36 eastbound.

A new ramp connecting Route 35 northbound to Route 36 eastbound has also been opened to traffic. This ramp is an improvement on the old one and features a new deceleration lane on Route 35 northbound and a new acceleration lane leading onto Route 36 eastbound, providing motorists with safer merge movements.

To accommodate ongoing work, Route 35 northbound and southbound traffic has been shifted to the right near the Route 36 intersection to establish a new construction zone in the center portion of the highway.

The current traffic patterns on Route 36 will be maintained, with three lanes in each direction west of the intersection and two lanes in each direction east of the intersection. During the summer season no work will be done over weekend or holiday periods.

NJDOT began the $12.4 million project to improve safety and reduce congestion at the Route 35 and Route 36 intersection in Eatontown Borough, Monmouth County in April 2010.

NJDOT is realigning and widening the existing intersection in order to improve operational performance, reduce congestion and enhance safety. The reconfigured intersection will feature multiple new turn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes, traffic signal upgrades and new pedestrian safety improvements.

Route 36 is a major summer tourist route toward the beaches of Long Branch and Sandy Hook, and Monmouth Mall is located directly to the southwest of the intersection. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2012.

NJDOT will use variable messaging signs to inform motorists of the construction and any traffic pattern changes associated with the project. Real time travel and construction information is available online at www.511nj.org