Fix Coming To Troublesome Route 70 Intersection In Brick

BRICK, NJ — If you've ever gotten stuck waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting some more to make a left turn onto Route 70 from Olden Street, rejoice: The state Department of Transportation has a fix in the works.

The intersection, near the Home Depot, has become a morass much of the time, with traffic from the jughandle streaming across and motorists who want to turn left to go east on Route 70 forced to wait through multiple changes of the light.

There have been 50 crashes at the intersection in the last three years, Brick Township Mayor John Ducey said Tuesday night.

The DOT is going to reconfigure the light at the intersection, installing one with a green left-turn arrow to improve traffic flow.

The Township Council approved a resolution for cost-sharing on the project, which the DOT has estimated at $108,000, Ducey said. The township's share is $27,000 — 25 percent of the cost.

"That's money well spent," Ducey said. If the cost exceeds $108,000, the township will have to pick up its share of the extra expense, but if the project comes in under budget, the township will receive a refund of the difference, according to the resolution.

A Google Maps photo shows vehicles waiting to turn left onto Route 70 from Olden Street as a steady stream of traffic from the jughandle goes through the intersection.