NJDOT Commissioner tours businesses in Lavalette
and announces Route 35 will be open this summer

Community partnership highlights construction
progress and that the shore is open for business

(Lavalette) – New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner James Simpson today continued the Christie Administration’s “Listening Tour” to get direct feedback from residents, business owners, and local officials in Lavallette and announced all Route 35 travel lanes will be open this summer.

The concerns expressed by members of the community along the 12.5-mile project have prompted NJDOT to proceed with a plan that does not allow work on the highway during the summer months.

“Route 35 and the many stores, shops, and restaurants in Lavallette and all along the Barnegat Peninsula are open for business this summer,” Commissioner Simpson said.

Commissioner Simpson and NJDOT project team members gathered today in the Lavallette Business District and walked along Route 35 northbound/Grand Central Avenue with Mayor Walter LaCicero and members of the town council, listening to concerns and ideas from business owners and residents. The group made stops at local businesses including Martins Casuals, a recipient of a Sandy Business Development Grant from EDA, the Crab Claw Restaurant, Shaded Visions, and Schlosser Real Estate.

Commissioner Simpson also announced that the interchange between Route 37 and Route 35, which is the main access point onto the peninsula, has been reconstructed is expected to be completed next week.

“This is the best news we have had in months,” Lavallette Business Association President Mark Speaker said. “NJDOT has worked hard to get things as close to normal as possible. There is still work to do, but with Route 35 open northbound and southbound, it will be just tremendous for the summer.”

The following summer work restrictions will be in place for NJDOT contractors:

Memorial Day Weekend
Work will be halted in all three sections for Memorial Day Weekend, between noon on Thursday, May 22 through noon on Tuesday, May 27.

Mileposts 0-4 in Berkeley, Seaside Park, Seaside Heights, and Toms River
In this section, Route 35 is generally a divided highway, providing two travel lanes in each direction from the entrance of Island Beach State Park, extending through Berkeley, Seaside Park, Seaside Heights, and Toms River. This section includes the interchange with Route 37, which has been reconstructed and is expected to be completed next week.

• Work on Route 35 will be suspended at noon on June 13 and will resume on  September 3 

• Work on the side streets will continue throughout the summer

Mile posts 4-9 in Lavallette, Toms River, and Brick
In this section, Route 35 is generally a divided highway, providing two travel lanes in each direction.

• Work on Route 35 northbound in the Lavallette Business District between Brown Avenue and Bond Avenue will be halted at noon on May 22 and will resume on September 3

• Work on the other portions of Route 35 northbound will stop at noon on June 13 and will resume September 3

• Work on Route 35 southbound will stop at noon on June 26 and will resume September 3
  
  
• Work on the side streets will continue throughout the summer

• New Jersey Natural Gas will be working in the northbound shoulder as it installs new gas lines.

Mile posts 9-12.5 in Mantoloking and Bay Head
In this section, Route 35 consists of a single roadway offering just one travel lane in each direction with shoulders. Much of this section has been reconstructed and is complete beginning at Osborne Avenue in Bay Head and heading south. 

• Work on Route 35 and all sides streets will be suspended at noon on May 22 and will resume September 3

In each section of the project, Route 35 will be completely rebuilt. The new stone-and-asphalt roadway will be two feet thick, providing a more stable road and smoother driving surface. A new storm-water drainage system for Route 35 has been designed to handle 25-year storms and will feature nine pump stations and treatment facilities to filter and purify the storm water prior to discharge into Barnegat Bay.

NJDOT has an accelerated schedule for this project to accomplish a massive amount of work in a short timeframe to bring the shore back better than ever. Construction is expected to be completed in 2015.

NJDOT has robust community outreach effort that includes a hotline telephone number, 732-230-7356, and email address, restorenj35@mbi-gs.com for residents to pose questions or provide suggestions as work progresses.

NJDOT also has created a project-specific website that provides information on the proposed construction activity. The site will be updated as work advances.