A completed interchange on the Garden State Parkway is one less road project for New Jerseyans to worry about as the state Department of Transportation has suspended work on all non-essential projects on weekends from now until the middle of September in an effort to keep the traffic moving.

A sign for the newly completed exit 89 on the Garden State Parkway
A sign for the newly completed exit 89 on the Garden State Parkway (Justin Louis, Townsquare Media NJ)
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"We prohibit lane closures on weekends, so that's on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on designated summer routes," said Steve Shapiro, spokesman for the DOT.

Construction and repair work will  continue at night Monday through Thursday, and if an emergency happens, lanes may have to close on weekends until repairs are complete.

"For the most part, all summer we're going to have all lanes open and available, however we are working this month to finish stuff up, so there are some closures as we continue work," Shapiro said.

The fully completed exit 89  has replaced Exit 88 in Lakewood and Brick Township meaning drivers can exit directly onto Route 70 from the Parkway without having to go on local roads.

The northbound ramps opened Monday and southbound Exit 89A opened on Friday.

The Route 35 rebuilding project, which was destroyed during Sandy, is nearly complete, according to Shapiro. The construction has been broken up into three different contracts over 12 miles miles.

Shapiro said the Bay Head-Mantoloking section is open and complete. At the other end of the project, one lane northbound is open coming out of Island Beach State Park through 14th Street, and then there's a shift in traffic from there through Third Street. From there, both lanes of traffic are open to the Mathis Bridge.

In the middle section of the Route 35 project, all lanes are open in most stretches, but some work is ongoing along the shoulder and in part of one lane, according to Shapiro.

So what can people expect as they head to the shore?

"People can expect your normal traffic going down the shore in the summer which of course there normally is congestion, but it's going to vary between what the weather is like and things like that. You know assuming the weather is good, you can expect your normal summer traffic," Shapiro said.

Meanwhile, the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge project is continuing, but all lanes remain open over the existing span.

In addition, work on big projects in other parts of the state that are already underway, such as the Pulaski Skyway rebuild, and where Routes 295, 42 and 76 all come together.

 

 

 

 

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