Brick, NJ – As part of Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis’ and the Township Council’s continuing efforts to reduce traffic congestion on Route 70, the Council awarded a bid to Earle Asphalt Company of Farmingdale for the extension of the westbound turn lane from Route 70 to Brick Boulevard.

“The Council and I promised to work towards reducing traffic on Route 70 and we are putting our money where our mouth is, so to say,” said Mayor Acropolis.  “This is the second traffic reduction project this year that we are funding for the Route 70 corridor.  I know that this is a State highway but it's in Brick Township and the people are tired of hearing that, they want results and the Council and I are working to fix problems, not just talk about fixing them.”

The contract will be in the amount of $183,713.13.  Earle Asphalt was the lowest bidder on the project.  $106,000 will be paid through a New Jersey Department of Transportation Infrastructure Trust grant. 

Mayor Acropolis says the Council and his administration will continue to work to secure additional funding for these projects.  “Route 70 isn’t used by Brick Township residents exclusively and Brick Township residents shouldn’t foot the bill,” said Mayor Acropolis.  “Our taxpayers shouldn’t be penalized because we don’t want to wait indefinitely for these improvements.”

The project calls for the extension of the left turn lane from 400 feet to 800 feet.  This will allow more cars to stack while waiting to make the left turn from westbound Route 70 to Brick Boulevard.  In addition, the entrance to the Foodtown property from westbound Route 70 will be closed off.  Currently, motorists can use the Foodtown property to cross Route 70 to access Brick Boulevard.  By closing this access off, all cars will be diverted to the turn lanes.

The construction will be done in the evening to avoid creating traffic delays.

This is the latest major project in a multi-phased effort on behalf of the Mayor and Council to address traffic problems in the Township. "We are not aware of any other town in the State that has taken the lead and actually implemented improvements on State and County roads without waiting for the projects to reach the top of the State's list", said Acropolis " Our residents are tired of waiting, they want action and we are doing everything in our power to deliver the improvements that they deserve.”

Earlier this year, the Township awarded a contract for the extension of the westbound left turn lane from Route 70 to Chambers Bridge Road.  That turn lane was extended from 350 feet to 650 feet.

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