For Immediate Release:

July 30, 2010

Route 66 corridor in Neptune area
to be studied

Widening, other safety improvements to be considered

FREEHOLD, NJ – The state Department of Transportation will conduct a Monmouth County-supported study of the Route 66 corridor from the Asbury Circle in Ocean Township west to where it intersects with the Garden State Parkway in Tinton Falls.

Route 66 is a major east/west connector in Monmouth County providing access to north/south corridors such as the Garden State Parkway, Route 18, Route 35 and serves as a coastal evacuation route for the communities east of the parkway.

“Recent development along Route 66 has led to traffic congestion and the need for safety improvements along the entire corridor,” said Freeholder John D’Amico, who represents the county on the North Jersey Transportation and Planning Authority (NJTPA), the funding source for the study. “Route 66 has been identified as essential for the economic viability of the surrounding commercial and retail areas in Monmouth County.”

Portions of Route 66 have been widened to four lanes over the years, and it was always anticipated that the entire stretch of road would be widened to two lanes in each direction.

“The utilities are already located far enough off the road to allow for the installation of additional lanes,” Freeholder John P. Curley said. “The idea is to take these spot improvements and tie them all together, upgrading the traffic signals and making other improvements along the way.”

The two-lane portions of the corridor have insufficient capacity and experience a number of operational and safety deficiencies, including long delays along the approaches to the signalized intersections. The bottlenecks, inadequate number of travel lanes, lack of dedicated turning lanes, pedestrian and bicycle facilities as well as poor surface conditions and outdated traffic signals result in severe congestion and safety concerns.

One such location is Route 66 and Asbury Avenue and Browne, Freehold and Wayside roads, configured in a small triangle that consists of three closely spaced traffic signals.       

On July 26, the NJTPA board approved its Fiscal Year Project 2011 Project Work Development Plan, which includes the local concept development project for widening and improving Route 66. Local concept development is the first step toward developing construction plans.

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