Turnpike to Unveil New Exit 9 Plan

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is eyeing changes to Turnpike Exit 9 and is prepared to discuss those changes during an open house on Nov. 30.

Turnpike officials say the exit is in need of operational and safety improvements to deal with high traffic volumes entering and exiting the toll plaza. The Turnpike Authority is proposing to replace the existing single lane ramp that connects Route 18 south to the Exit 9 plaza with a two lane ramp. The wider ramp would require the replacement of the old bridge that carries Route 18 traffic over the highway to and from Route 18 south.

According to literature available on the township web site, “The radius of the new ramp will be increased to meet the current minimum design standard and Route 18 will be shifted to the east, away from the residential area on the west side of the highway. With the exception of vacant land north of the Route 18 exit/entrance to Tower Center Boulevard, right-of-way acquisitions will not be necessary on private property.”

Plans also call for the construction of additional lanes at the intersection of Naricon Place, including two lanes on the Route 18 southbound approach to provide “Turn Only” lanes leading into the new turnpike entrance ramp and a separate right turn for Naricon Place.

An open house on the changes will be held Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 6 to 7 p.m., and a public forum will follow from 7 to 9 p.m.

The project is expected to begin during the summer of 2012 and end in the fall of 2014.

Turnpike officials say the improvements will be designed with safety in mind and will address the existing “substandard horizontal curve on the ramp from Route 18 southbound to the turnpike toll plaza,” improve capacity and improve the merging and weaving on Route 18 north near the exit.

The turnpike also said it doesn’t expect the work to impact nearby residents.

On the northbound side, plans called for three lanes on Route 18 though the traffic signal at Naricon, then a narrowing to two lanes as it approaches the merge with NJ Turnpike traffic. As Route 18 and the exiting Turnpike traffic merge, there would have been four lanes as the road crosses over Westons Mill Pond. The plans meant moving Route 18 40 feet to the east.