NJDOT Announces New Traffic Pattern at Intersection of Route 35 and Route 36

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has announced a huge change in the way people drive to Long Branch and its surrounding towns.

NJDOT announced today that there are new traffic patterns in place at the intersection of Route 36 and Route 35 in Eatontown.

As of Friday morning, NJDOT’s contractor, DeFino Contracting Co., has permanently closed the existing Route 35 southbound jughandle ramp to Route 36 eastbound, located near the Eatontown shopping plaza that contains Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond and other stores.

According to NJDOT, two new dedicated left-turn lanes at the intersection will now provide Route 35 southbound motorists with direct access to Route 36 eastbound.

NJDOT also states that a new ramp connecting Route 35 northbound to Route 36 eastbound has also been opened to traffic.

"This ramp is an improvement on the old one and features a new deceleration lane on Route 35 northbound and a new acceleration lane leading onto Route 36 eastbound, providing motorists with safer merge movements," NJDOT states in a release.

To accommodate ongoing work, Route 35 northbound and southbound traffic has been shifted to the right near the Route 36 intersection to establish a new construction zone in the center portion of the highway. 

According to NJDOT, the current traffic patterns on Route 36 will be maintained, with three lanes in each direction west of the intersection and two lanes in each direction east of the intersection.

Thankfully for tourists and those who commute to and from other Jersey Shore towns using Route 36, there will be no construction work done during summer season or over weekend or holiday periods. 

The $12.4 million construction project designed to reduce congestion at the intersection began in April, 2010, and motorists have been waiting for over a year to see the new traffic pattern. Route 36 is a major summer tourist route for visitors of Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright, Sandy Hook and other Jersey Shore towns.

"NJDOT is realigning and widening the existing intersection in order to improve operational performance, reduce congestion and enhance safety," the release states. "The reconfigured intersection will feature multiple new turn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes, traffic signal upgrades and new pedestrian safety improvements."

The entire construction project is slated to be completed in "late 2012," according to NJDOT.

"NJDOT will use variable messaging signs to inform motorists of the construction and any traffic pattern changes associated with the project," the release states.

Real time travel and construction information is available online at www.511nj.org