EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Mayor Cohen said the New Jersey Department of Transportation expects to restore all lanes on Route 18 by the end of August, nearly four years after construction began. Cohen made the announcement during an episode of the podcast "The Buzz About East Brunswick."
Cohen said the project was extended by roughly a year to accommodate water line repairs, which the state helped fund. He said DOT officials have told the township they are working to finish ahead of the original timeline.
"By the end of this month, we should have all of our lanes back," Cohen said on the podcast, though he noted some sidewalk and light work will continue after that.
As the Route 18 project nears completion, the state has informed the township of a separate, previously unannounced project to repair and elevate a bridge that carries Route 18 over a Conrail freight line near Ryders Lane. Cohen said the bridge is aging and structurally at risk, and needs to be raised to accommodate larger freight trains.
Cohen questioned why the DOT did not coordinate the bridge project with the four-year Route 18 construction that just wrapped up.
"Somebody at the Department of Transportation needs to explain why these two projects that they knew about clearly didn't talk to one another in a way that they could be done at the same time," Cohen said.
The mayor said the township has no authority over the timing or scope of state road projects, including the upcoming bridge work, since Route 18 is a state-owned roadway. He said the township's role is limited to raising concerns about local impact, such as lane closures and alternative routes for residents.
One entrance ramp from Milltown Road onto Route 18 is expected to close as part of the bridge project, according to Cohen. He said the DOT has agreed to hold a public forum to explain the project's scope, timeline and traffic impact to residents.
The forum is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the East Brunswick Community Arts Center.
Cohen said he expects the bridge project's impact on traffic to be less severe than the recently completed Route 18 work, which narrowed lanes near the Route 18/Tices Lane area — one of the roadway's highest-traffic points, with roughly 40,000 vehicles a day. Traffic volume decreases further south near the Ryders Lane bridge, he said.
The bridge project is expected to begin after the new year, according to township officials.
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