County of Monmouth

For Immediate Release:

November 6, 2017

** MEDIA ADVISORY **

County Route 537 Redesign in Freehold Enters Next Phase

Work addresses bottleneck condition near Mall in time for holiday shopping

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ – The Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering has partnered with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) on a redesign of the County Route (CR) 537 corridor from Sentinel Road to the US 9 interchange in Freehold Township. Until those improvements are implemented, the NJDOT has agreed to allow the County to widen CR-537 westbound at the State Highway (SH) 33 overpass in order to eliminate the merging condition at the location.

Currently, there is a westbound bottleneck at the Freehold Raceway Mall which is within the project limits. The widening of CR-537 will allow two lanes of traffic to continue over SH-33 thus mitigating the congestion in the area.

“The County Public Works and Engineering Department has worked closely with the NJDOT to address both the current and future conditions in the project area,” said Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the Monmouth County Public Works and Engineering Department. “We know full well how busy County Route 537 gets on a regular weekday which only grows during the holidays. This road widening will allow traffic to flow in a less constricted environment until such time as the permanent design changes are implemented. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding while this work takes place.”

County-managed crews will perform the widening work which begins on Wednesday, November 8 and is expected to be completed by November 15, weather-permitting.

All work will occur between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and Freehold Township Police officers will be on site while the construction takes place.

The schedule of work is as follows:

  • Wednesday, November 8 and Thursday, November 9 – Construction of new curb. One lane westbound to be open to traffic during performance of work.
  • Monday, November 13 - Construct minor road widening. One lane westbound to be open to traffic during performance of work. 
  • Tuesday, November 14 - Mill and pave CR-537 westbound; CR-537 westbound traffic to be shifted to one lane on CR-537 eastbound (EB) (counter-flow); ramp from SH 33 westbound onto CR 537 westbound to be closed and traffic detoured via SH-33 westbound ramp to CR 537 EB to Trotters Way jug handle.
  • Wednesday, November 15 - Final striping and signage to be installed; CR-537 westbound to be shifted to one lane on CR-537 eastbound; The SH-33 westbound to CR-537 westbound ramp will be opened to traffic.

Motorists should remember to slow down in work zones, stay alert to changing traffic patterns and follow signed and directed detours.

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