Route 22 Overnight Lane, Shoulder Closures Begin In Somerset County

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Overnight lane and shoulder closures on Route 22 begin this week in Somerset County as part of New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)'s $5.5 million pavement preservation project.

The project kicks off Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 10 p.m. with closures through 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24. These nightly closures will continue Monday through Friday.

NJDOT’s contractor Capital Paving and Contracting is scheduled to close the right shoulder on Route 22 eastbound just before the Chimney Rock Road overpass in Bridgewater through Maple Avenue in North Plainfield for milling.

Drivers are advised to follow the signed detours. Paving is expected to begin later in the week.

The project will begin in Bridgewater and work its way eastbound with milling and paving with a High-Performance Thin Overlay (HPTO), apply a sealant to pavement joints and cracks, and install rumble strips as necessary to the shoulder and then progress in the westbound direction.

Once the shoulder is complete in both directions, the project will mill and pave the right lane moving eastbound and then westbound, and then the left lane moving eastbound and then westbound, according to NJDOT.

Pavement preservation also will be done on ramps along the project limits at the end of the project. NJDOT will provide advance notice of overnight ramp closures before they are repaved.

The Route 22 from I-287 to Maple Avenue pavement preservation project will "improve the pavement ride quality and extend the roadway pavement life on more than seven miles of Route 22 in both directions in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Green Brook and North Plainfield," according to NJDOT officials.

The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors.

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