NJDOT announces Route 22
‘Sustainable Corridor' improvements
in Somerset County
Safety upgrades and congestion relief slated for stretch of highway between Route 202/206 and Interstate 287

Route 22 between the Route 202/206 and Interstate 287 interchanges experiences high traffic volumes, with around 105,000 vehicles per day traveling the highway. This section of the corridor serves local and regional traffic and is a vital link for commuters, residents and local businesses. The purpose of the project is to provide immediate safety improvements that address specific locations - identified through coordination with local officials - and to provide congestion relief along the Route 22 corridor. A long-term improvement for this corridor is presently in the early stages of design, with Somerset County as the lead agency.

NJDOT’s contractor, Green Construction, Inc., is scheduled to begin preliminary construction activity, including sign installation and field mobilization this week.

The $7.9 million project will reconstruct and widen the existing highway shoulders to provide for new auxiliary acceleration/deceleration lanes along Route 22, creating safer and improved access at key locations:
o New Route 22 eastbound auxiliary lane for Route 202/206 on-ramp.
o New Route 22 eastbound auxiliary lane from North Bridge Street past Grove Street.
o New deceleration lane on Route 22 westbound for I-287 southbound ramp.

In addition, the project includes myriad design and technological upgrades intended to improve traffic flow through the corridor:
o Median U-turns at North Gaston Avenue and Adamsville Road will be eliminated.
o The intersection of the North Grove Street overpass and Grove Street will be reconfigured.
o The Mountain Avenue intersection will be reconfigured as a stop control.
o A new traffic signal will be installed at intersection of Foothill Road and Ronson Road, with the addition of a dedicated left-turn lane.
o New Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) facilities will be installed along the corridor including three CCTV cameras, five new permanent Dynamic Message Signs, conduit and wiring.
o Improvements to roadway drainage system and new stormwater management basin.
o Highway lighting improvements.
o Access driveway modifications will be made at select business locations.

All available travel lanes will be maintained on Route 22 between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the week. The work will be accomplished with overnight lane closures and permanent shoulder closures with traffic shifts. Later into the construction schedule, NJDOT anticipates there will be period of approximately seven weeks when Route 22 eastbound will be restricted to one lane for ramp work at Mountain Avenue in Somerville. Variable message signs will be used to notify Route 22 motorists of all traffic pattern changes.

NJDOT has coordinated the project with representatives from Somerset County and the municipalities, met with property owners regarding access along the highway and held a public information center in December 2013. The project is scheduled for completion in early-summer 2014.

During project design several ‘breakout’ improvements were identified for early action, and were constructed in the fall of 2009. That project provided a new Route 22 westbound auxiliary lane under the North Grove Street overpass, removed an abandoned truck weigh station and eliminated the left turn movements to North Gaston Avenue and Adamsville Road.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.