Parkway Changes Planned

By Stephanie Faughnan

HOWELL – A local bagel shop recently saw a flurry of police activity, though it was without any cause for alarm.

Howell Police were not called to the scene due to an emergency or criminal misconduct. Instead, the local enforcement agency showed up in full force at Big City Bagels in the Aldrich Shopping Center for a heartwarming event called “Coffee with a Cop.”

“We understand the importance of working with the community and having an outreach program for the community to communicate with police officers,” said Howell Police Chief John Storrow. “This is

By Chris Lundy

OCEAN COUNTY – Significant changes will happen on the Garden State Parkway between miles 80 and 83 as exits are renumbered and lanes and offramps are altered.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which also oversees the Parkway, put out the plan, asking for feedback from drivers.

One of the biggest changes is that there will be a “Collector-Distributor roadway.” This is a few lanes in each direction, separated from the rest of the Parkway by a median. Drivers getting onto the Parkway will fi rst be on this Collector-Distributor until either they get off at another Toms River stop or go on to the rest of the Parkway.

Between 81 and 82, there will be new roadways added, separated from the main

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Parkway by a concrete median. If you’re heading north, there will be a through lane and an auxiliary lane (for getting on and off ). If you’re heading south, there will be two through lanes and an auxiliary lane.

Officials said that local traffic needs to have a separate roadway from the mainline of the Garden State Parkway. This is a heavily traveled area, and the goal is to give more room for cars. With the interchanges stacked up pretty closely together, there’s not enough room for drivers to get out of each other’s ways.

Other parts of the project include the rehabilitation or replacement of 11 bridges, replacement of guide rails, and upgrades to signing, striping and lighting. Shoulder widths would be widened (in some cases, they are non-existent). Utilities would need to be relocated.

The plan includes 23 basins and nine manufactured treatment devices to manage stormwater runoff.

Development

There are an above average number of crashes in these miles compared to other spots on the road, the Authority said. This part of the road was originally constructed in the 1950s, and is not made to take the kind of traffic it sees now.

There will also be more construction projects that will bring even more cars. One of them that the Authority cited was the redevelopment of downtown Toms River, with proposed apartment towers. There’s also the rerouting of traffic downtown that’s being considered.

Another big project is a multi-use condo complex in South Toms River.

Changing Exit Numbers

The standard in numbering exits is that if they are part of a single exit, they will be assigned the same number. Therefore, 81, 82, and 82A will now be 82A, 82B and 82C. That’s because these will all be accessed from the Collector-Distributor.

Exit 80 Changes

If you’re heading north on the Parkway, there will be a new exit that will bring you to Route 9 south. In this case, we’re not talking about Route 166 or Atlantic City Boulevard or whatever it is called through Beachwood and South Toms River. We’re talking about that long road with no driveways on it that hits several lights before it joins what we commonly call Route 9. This is the road that gets backed up with traffic from Parkway south every rush hour and now traffic from Parkway north will also be routed to here.

If you’re heading the other way, onto Parkway north, you currently have two lanes which combine into one after the light at Route 530/Dover Road. The new plan would have those two lanes both continue as auxiliary lanes. They will lead to the Collector-Distributor roadway and to the rest of the Parkway.

Also near this intersection, Dover Road westbound will be widened under the Parkway to accommodate two lanes. The idea is that the light before going onto the Parkway would stay green longer because cars going west wouldn’t need as much time to go through.

A new southbound entrance ramp will be created from Double Trouble Road to Parkway south.

If you’re driving west on Dover, you would take the jughandle at Railroad Avenue then make a left to travel south on the Parkway. A lot of people in this area trying to go south on the Parkway just take Double Trouble to interchange 77. This would provide an alternative. It would likely be more popular for people leaving South Toms River (and the new development) and Manitou Park and would prevent adding traffic on local roads.

A new traffic light will be built at Double Trouble Road at the existing ramp with a designated left-turn lane. It will be coordinated with the traffic light that already exists at 530 so that traffic can flow through them both.

Currently, the off ramp at exit 80 is dangerous. There is a designated right turn lane that people new to the area don’t realize is there right away. Then, the rest of the exit opens into a spot where you can go left or right, but there’s not much room to make a decision if you’re not experienced with it. Then, making a left out of there is difficult because a truck sitting at the light can block your view of (Changes - See Page 7)