DOT: All Route 35 travel lanes in Ocean County will be open this summer

All travel lanes on Route 35 will be open this summer as the Route 35 reconstruction project along the northern Ocean County barrier island nears completion, state officials said. 

The limited work remaining is expected to be complete by the end of June before the height of the summer vacation season, strengthening the roadway before hurricane season and ensuring the project’s completion by the end of the year, according to state Department of Transportation spokesman Stephen Schapiro. 

“Work has been done with an expedited schedule to complete the project as soon as possible to prevent another storm from damaging the already compromised drainage system and highway,” he said.

The $341 million project, which began during the summer of 2013, is divided into three geographic sections.

Schapiro provided the following timeline:

Mileposts 0-4 in Berkeley, Seaside Park, Seaside Heights, and Toms River

In this section, Route 35 is generally a divided highway, providing two travel lanes in each direction from the entrance of Island Beach State Park, extending through Berkeley, Seaside Park, Seaside Heights, and Toms River. This section includes the interchange with Route 37.

Work in this section is scheduled to be completed by the end of June.
By Memorial Day weekend:

24th Avenue to 20th Avenue in Berkeley will be complete and back to its final configuration of one northbound lane and two southbound lanes. Parking will be available, but it will not be striped.
20th Avenue to 14th Avenue is expected to be restored to its final configuration of one lane in each direction. Currently there is a detour utilizing 13th Avenue to Barnegat Avenue to 22nd Avenue.
14th Avenue in Berkeley to N Street in Seaside Park will be one lane in each direction with parking available, but the parking will not be striped.
Route 35 between N Street in Seaside Park through 6th Avenue in Toms River, including the interchange with Route 37, is complete.

The majority of remaining work is the installation of curbs, sidewalks, and paving from Island Beach State Park north to N Street. Paving is necessary in both the northbound and southbound lanes with traffic shifts and/or diversions expected in June for final paving. NJDOT will provide notification of any full closures before they take place.
Five new pump stations are scheduled to be completed in June as well.

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.

Most of the work in this section will be complete by the end of June.
By Memorial Day weekend:

Route 35 northbound will have both travel lanes, left shoulder and parking on the left side available from 6th Avenue in Toms River to 6th Avenue in Brick/Normandy Beach.
Route 35 northbound will have a single lane and left shoulder available from 6th Avenue to Curtis Point Drive in Brick.
Route 35 southbound will have both travel lanes and the right shoulder available for the entire 5 miles of this contract from 6th Avenue in Toms River to Curtis Point Drive in Brick.
No work on Route 35 northbound in the Lavallette Business District between Brown Avenue and Bond Avenue will take place between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Work to reconstruct the right shoulder of Route 35 northbound will be broken up into three-block sections in Lavallette between Trenton Avenue and Ortley Avenue, with work taking place in alternating sections. The majority of this work is expected to be complete by the end of June.
All side street work is complete except paving.
After Labor Day, the remaining work between Brown Avenue and Bond Avenue will be completed.

Mileposts 9-12.5 in Mantoloking and Bay Head

In this section, Route 35 consists of a single roadway offering just one travel lane in each direction with shoulders.

Final paving was completed in April.
All drainage work is complete, including the construction and testing of four pump stations.
There is some minor sidewalk and landscaping work that will continue, but the work will not affect traffic, and it is expected to be completed by the end of June.

Variable message signs will be used to notify motorists of all traffic pattern changes. Motorists are encouraged to check www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.

The Department 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.