Final construction to resume on Route 35
after Labor Day in Lavallette, Toms River and Brick

Last section of project to be completed this fall

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced construction will resume on Tuesday, September 8 on the final section of Route 35 that needs to be completed in Lavallette, Toms River, and Brick.

The project to totally reconstruct 12.5 miles of Route 35 and add a new drainage system was divided into three geographic sections. Before summer, work on the highway was completed in two of the three sections covering 7.5 miles of Route 35 in Bay Head, Mantoloking, Toms River, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and Berkeley.

The Department suspended construction on the remaining five-mile section of Route 35 in Lavallette, Toms River, and Brick during the busy summer season to minimize the inconvenience to businesses, residents, and vacationers who make the Jersey Shore a prime tourist destination between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

“The Route 35 project has been a priority during my most recent tenure with the Department,” NJDOT Commissioner Jamie Fox said. “With construction resuming after the busy summer season on the last  section of Route 35 that needs to be rebuilt, this massive project is nearly complete.”

Route 35 was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy.  The $341 million project began in the fall of 2013 and had an expedited schedule to complete the massive project as soon as possible to prevent another storm from damaging the already compromised drainage system and highway.

Route 35 work

The following work will begin on Tuesday, September 8 in the section between Mileposts 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.

• One travel lane and shoulder will be closed in the southbound direction to complete drainage improvements, curb installation, ADA-compliant ramps, and signal improvements in advance of final paving.

• One lane and a shoulder in each direction will be maintained.

Beginning the week of September 14:

• Final paving will begin overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the southbound lanes at milepost 8 to milepost 4. One lane and shoulder will be paved at a time.

• One lane and shoulder will remain open for traffic.

• This work is expected to be completed in October, when the final paving will then shift to the northbound lanes.

• Construction will be completed on one last outfall between Bay Avenue and Bay Lane in Brick. Once this work is complete, final paving on Route 35 southbound from milepost 8 to 9 will take place.

• While the final pavement is being completed on the southbound lanes, the right lane and shoulder of Route 35 northbound will be closed, with one lane and shoulder maintained for traffic.

• The reconstruction of the right shoulder and sidewalks through the six blocks of the Lavallette Business District from Bond Avenue to Brown Avenue will take place. This work is expected to be completed in October.

• Once paving on the southbound lanes and shoulder work in the Lavallette Business District are complete, final paving will begin overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the northbound lanes at milepost 4 to milepost 9. One lane and shoulder will be paved at a time, with one lane and shoulder open for traffic.

In addition to the work between milepost 4 and 9, a small section of Route 35 between Harris and Howe Streets in Bay Head will be closed between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. beginning on Monday, September 14 with alternating traffic to correct settlement around two manholes. Settlement is often the result of pavement work performed during the winter months, which was necessary on this project because of the moratorium on working in the summer to minimize the impact on summer vacationers and businesses. This work is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

Pump Stations

Crews have nearly completed cleaning silt from drainage pipes and the pump stations in Seaside Park, Seaside Heights and Berkeley Township. As part of the ongoing work to complete the project, crews are continuing to apply hydraulic cement to prevent water infiltration and ensure the system is sealed. Temporary grates at certain inlet locations near pump stations will be replaced with manhole covers.

The Department will be excavating to make adjustments at each of the pump stations.  This work will require the use of machinery and equipment, but will in no way impede traffic or require any digging on Route 35. Installation of final landscaping at all of the pump stations will coincide with these adjustments. This work is expected to be completed by the end of the fall.

“These pump stations will help the region withstand future storms and protect Route 35 from flooding. Our crews have worked closely with local officials and residents to keep them informed and to ensure that work proceeds smoothly,” Commissioner Fox said. “Anyone who lives in the area can tell you that the flooding on the roads has been greatly reduced with the new system this summer, even though it is still being completed.”

Project Details

In each section of the project, Route 35 was completely rebuilt.  The new stone-and-asphalt roadway is two feet thick, providing a more stable road and smoother driving surface.  It replaces the old roadway that was eight-inch thick concrete slabs that were more susceptible to damage from a major storm. 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 a robust community outreach effort that includes a hotline telephone number, 732-230-7356, and email address, restore.nj35@dot.state.nj.us for residents to pose questions or provide suggestions as work progresses. The Department also has a project-specific website that provides information on the construction activity. 

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information, and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.