Route 34 lane closures necessary as the Bridge over the Edgar Felix Bikeway replacement project advances in Wall
Traffic shifts required as safety improvements project enters next stage
(Trenton) – New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced that daytime lane closures are required as the Route 34 Bridge over Former Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad/Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway replacement project advances in Wall, Monmouth County.
Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, January 15, from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. the next day, and continuing daily Monday through Friday until January 24, NJDOT’s contractor, Green Construction, will close one lane of traffic on Route 34 to move the construction barrier and restripe the roadway. Work will begin on Route 34 northbound and once traffic is shifted, work will continue on Route 34 southbound.
The shift will allow new work zones to be created on the right lane and shoulder of the bridge in both directions. Two travel lanes will be maintained during this stage of construction in each direction. The new configuration will remain in place until fall 2020.
During this stage of construction there will be utility and drainage work, construction of a new culvert beneath the existing bridge, demolition of the outer portions of the bridge deck, and bridge widening.
The Route 34 Bridge spans the 5.5-mile Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway between Baldwin Place and Ridgewood Road and Allenwood Road and 18th Avenue. The bike path underneath the bridge at those locations is closed and detoured to ensure the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians. Work will be scheduled to minimize the duration of the bikeway detour to the maximum extent possible. A permanent Dynamic Message Sign was erected in the area of Allenwood Road, for safety and information messaging purposes. The bridge is approximately one-quarter mile south of Atlantic Avenue.
The $9.7 million federally-funded project will replace the Route 34 Bridge over the Former Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad, which is now the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway. The project will replace the bridge and widen it, as well as lower the profile of the roadway to improve the sight distance. Currently, the road has two 10-foot lanes in each direction with two-foot shoulders. The new bridge will have two standard 12-foot lanes in each direction and 10-foot wide shoulders. A new culvert will be constructed under the bridge to accommodate the bike path. The project will be constructed in stages to minimize the impact on the public and is expected to be completed by the spring 2021.
Variable Message Signs will provide advance notification to motorists of traffic pattern changes associated with the work. 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 or on the NJDOT Facebook page.
If you have any questions, please contract Vanessa Meades, Regional Coordinator of Community Relations or Denise Peck, Assistant to the Regional Coordinator, NJDOT-Office of Community and Constituent Relations at (609) 963-1982.
Thank you,
Susan Durkee
New Jersey Department of Transportation
Office of Community & Constituent Relations
1035 Parkway Avenue, P.O. Box 600
Trenton, NJ 08625-0600
NEW PHONE #
V: (609) 963 – 1982
