The new northbound Garden State Parkway entrance ramps from Burnt Tavern Road and Burnsville Road are expected to be open to motorists on Thursday, Aug. 24 and the new traffic signal at Burnsville Road and the Garden State Parkway will be activated.
“The extensive work at Interchange 91 in Brick Township is drawing to a close,” said Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly, Director of Law and Public Safety. “It’s important motorists are aware that these changes are being implemented. We anticipate the project to be complete by month’s end.”
Changes also will include closure of the existing northbound Garden State Parkway ramp on Burnt Tavern Road and the traffic signal at Burnt Tavern Road and Dave Reid Road will be deactivated and removed. Once this ramp is closed it will not be reopened.
In addition, the northbound Garden State Parkway exit ramp to Burrsville Road will be opened to motorists on or about 3 a.m., Aug. 25 by New Jersey Turnpike Authority personnel.
Signage will be provided to north and southbound Burrsville Road and eastbound Burnt Tavern Road instructing drivers to use the new northbound entrance ramps. And, westbound Burnt Tavern Road drivers are encouraged to use the new northbound entrance ramp on Lanes Mill Road that was opened Aug. 10.
“There are many working parts to this road project and they are all now coming together,” said Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “The changes have been implemented gradually for the safety of our drivers.”
Kelly noted that project completion is just weeks away.
“On Aug. 30 we expect construction of Lanes Mill Road and Burnt Tavern Road to be completed and the final signal configuration is expected to be activated,” said Kelly, liaison to the Ocean County Engineering Department. “Upon completion of this work, Interchange 91 will be in its final configuration. There will be some additional closeout work in the area.
“I especially want to thank the Brick Township Police Department, the State Highway Authority and our Engineering Department for the effort made to coordinate these changes so drivers can maneuver through the area safely,” Kelly added. “Public safety is a key component of all of this work.”
Since May, Ocean County has been gradually implementing changes to traffic signals and traffic patterns at Interchange 91 as parts of the project have been completed.
“These next steps starting this week will lead to the completion of the main parts of this project,” Kelly said. “Interchange 91 improvements are expected to increase safety and reduce commuter congestion.”
The improvements at Interchange 91 include the addition and relocation of on and off ramps to create a fully accessible interchange with both northbound and southbound entrance and exit ramps.
Exit 91 had allowed only northbound vehicles to enter the Parkway, while only southbound traffic could exit.
“The improvements are expected to increase the level of performance on the roadway now and 20 years into the future,” Kelly said.
The new configuration of Interchange 91 west of the Parkway became operational May 16 when the County activated new traffic signals in the area of the interchange.
Traffic signals at Stephan Road and Lanes Mill Road, Herborn Avenue Extension and Lanes Mill Road, Herborn Avenue and Burnt Tavern Road and Burnt Tavern and Lanes Mill roads and the Garden State Parkway ramp were all activated in their new configuration to accommodate the new and reconfigured entrance and exit ramps for Garden State Parkway Southbound.
The project is being done in partnership with Ocean County, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the state of New Jersey.
“This is one of our most far-reaching designs to upgrade a Parkway interchange,” Vicari said. “We’ve worked closely with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and Brick Township to redesign this interchange to meet the needs of the region’s growing population.
“This project will meet the needs of our growing population far into the future,” Vicari said. “This area is home to a large number of commuters and this will help ease their ride to and from work. It also will help with summer visitors accessing Ocean County.”
Kelly noted the redesign will also allow easier access to the Park-N-Ride commuter lots on both the east and west sides of the highway.
“Not only will this almost totally new interchange ease traffic on nearby Lanes Mill Road and Burnt Tavern Road, it will also reduce congestion at nearby Exit 90 at Chambers Bridge Road,” Kelly said. “Many of those motorists who now drive the extra miles from Chambers Bridge Road to northern Brick and Point Pleasant will now be able to use this interchange instead.”
Once completed the project will provide:
•A new northbound entrance ramp from Burnt Tavern Road and Lanes Mill Road, with access to the Park-N-Ride lot on the east side of the Parkway.
•A second northbound entrance ramp for vehicles traveling eastbound on Burnt Tavern Road. This ramp will also allow access from Burrsville Road. The single existing northbound ramp will be eliminated.
•A new northbound exit ramp linking the Parkway and Burrsville Road.
•A new southbound entrance ramp for traffic heading west on Burnt Tavern Road.
•A second southbound entrance ramp linking Lanes Mill Road with the Parkway. Herborn Avenue would be extended south and east to Lanes Mill Road, where it would meet the new entrance ramp at a signaled intersection.
•Southbound Parkway traffic could exit at the existing ramp or continue under the Burnt Tavern Road Bridge and use a new ramp that will link with Lanes Mill Road at a second new signaled interchange.