‘Complete Streets’ improvements announced for a segment of Route 45 in Woodbury
Reconfigured travel lanes to provide pedestrian safety and congestion relief
(Trenton) - NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson today announced a project to improve pedestrian safety and mobility while relieving vehicular congestion along a 0.8-mile stretch of Route 45 in Woodbury City, Gloucester County.
“Route 45 in Woodbury will serve as an excellent example of how the Department is putting New Jersey’s award-winning Complete Streets policy into practice,” said DOT Commissioner James Simpson. “Features that complete a street help promote vibrant, healthy communities where walking, jogging and bicycling are safely woven into the fabric of daily life.”
The section of Route 45 between Carpenter Street and Red Bank Avenue will be permanently converted from the existing configuration of two travel lanes in each direction into a new section of roadway designed to safely accommodate all users of the road.
• Once completed, Route 45 will carry one travel lane in each direction with a dual-use center left-turn lane and a new multi-use bike lane.
• New parking will be provided on the outside of the roadway, where practical.
The $1.4 million project was initiated through local concerns about pedestrian safety and heavy congestion at existing intersections without left-turn provisions.
NJDOT’s contractor, South State Inc., is scheduled to begin preliminary construction activities this week including layout and sign installation. One lane of Route 45 will remain open to traffic in each direction throughout construction, while traffic shifts and single lane closures will be utilized during off-peak hours. Access to local businesses and properties will be maintained.
NJDOT adopted its Complete Streets policy in December 2009 and in May 2011 it was ranked strongest in the nation by the National Complete Streets Coalition. New Jersey’s Complete Streets policy requires all major NJDOT roadway projects in the future to include accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and the mobility impaired. This policy is implemented through the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of new or rehabilitated transportation facilities within public rights-of-way.
Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for construction updates and real-time travel information.
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