For Immediate Release:
January 14, 2021

County Commissioners celebrate completion of State Route 34 and County Route 537 intersection improvements and bridge replacements

COLTS NECK, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the completion of the State Route 34 (SR 34) and County Route 537 (CR 537) intersection improvement and bridge replacement project.

The project included the widening of SR 34, widening of CR 537, replacement of the existing traffic signal with state-of-the art technology, replacement of the CR 537 bridge (1300-A18), replacement of the SR 34 bridge (1308-152) and installation of bio-retention basins.

“The intersection improvement project at State Route 34 and County Route 537 set out to improve the safety and operations of the intersection as well as decrease the use of local roadways as alternate routes to avoid congestion,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “Throughout construction, the County worked closely with local businesses including Delicious Orchards, Colts Neck Stillhouse and the Orchards at Colts Neck shopping plaza to minimize disruptions to their operations. At some points, work was staggered on certain sections of the roads based on their business hours to keep their driveways open.”

“For nearly two decades and throughout my time in public service at the municipal and County levels, I had the persistence of vision to bring this intersection improvement to the forefront of our priorities as elected officials and brought this essential project to fruition,” said Commissioner Lillian G. Burry. “For years, residents, business owners and motorists have experienced lengthy delays and hazardous driving conditions at one of the busiest intersections in Monmouth County. The completed project has drastically altered how people travel in and through Colts Neck, especially during commuter peak hours.”

“As a resident of the township myself, I am personally gratified to see us reaching this significant milestone and I applaud our County Public Works and Engineering department and our partners on the state level for their tireless efforts to make this project a reality,” added Commissioner Burry.

This project was made possible through the County’s partnership with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As the intersection of State Route 34 and County Route 537 falls under NJDOT, this project would typically be run by the State. However, Monmouth County was given an opportunity to be the lead for this work so that the project could advance. This project was completed almost entirely with Federal Aid Grant and State Aid Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) dollars under the NJDOT and County agreement.

The State provided 75% and the County provided 25% of the total $23.3 million project cost. Of those costs, Design totaled $1.5 million, Right-of-Way acquisition totaled $1.6 million, construction totaled $17.7 million and construction support and inspection totaled $2.5 million. The County share was $5.5 million. Of the $5.5 million, the County used $5.2 million from our State Aid TTF allocations and only $300,000 from County Capital Funds to pay for non-participating construction items.

“I commend the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering, and all of our partners, for the successful completion of this intersection improvement project,” said Commissioner Director Arnone. “The County kept in constant communication with the community, such as disclosing that temporary lane closures or reroutes went into effect, and made this a continuous priority.”

The County assembled a project design team that included Greenman-Pedersen, Inc., Amy Greene Environmental (a Davey Company), and Prestige Environmental. We awarded a construction contract for these improvements to Rencor Inc. of Summerville.

In addition to Rencor, Inc., the construction team included Pantaleo Electric, Inc., ML Ruberton Construction, Co, Protec Documentation Services, Clean Earth Matters, LLC, LC Equipment, Inc., The Vann Organization, ANS Consultants, Inc., and Multifacet, Inc. The Construction Inspection and Administration design consultants included T&M Associates, Inc., Amercom, Inc., and GTS Consultants.

In total, the County maintains approximately 1,000 lane miles of roads, 924 bridges and culverts and 239 traffic signals and beacons.