Realignment of Route 547/Ridgeway Boulevard Intersection Planned for Spring

A traffic signal will take the place of a stop sign when the intersection of Route 547 and Ridgeway Boulevard is reconfigured, a project anticipated to begin within the next few months.

"We're optimistic that it will begin this spring," said Ocean County Engineer Frank Scarantino.

The project, which will remove the ability for traffic to make a left-hand turn from Ridgeway Boulevard on to Route 547 south, will be paid for and completed by Pulte Homes — the developer of the River Pointe neighborhood which necessitates the changes — and should take about six months, Scarantino said.

A new connecting road will be constructed to join Ridgeway Boulevard to Route 547; the new traffic signal on Route 547 will be installed by the county where the connecting road meets the county highway, about 700 feet north of the current intersection.

"It's going to realign the end of Ridgeway Boulevard with 547 and bends it to the west so it's a T-intersection at 90 degrees," Scarantino said. "There's also a bit of widening that goes on for left turn lanes."

Traffic travelling northbound on Route 547 from Lakehurst still will have the option of making a right-hand turn on to Ridgeway Boulevard. A circle will be constructed where the stop sign currently is, allowing traffic traveling southbound on that road to turn around and access businesses on the eastern side. 

Removing the ability to make a left-hand turn from Ridgeway Boulevard on to Route 547 is the "primary reason" for the reconfiguration. An increase of traffic due to River Pointe is another. 

"It was expected with that development that more traffic would be generated on Ridgeway Boulevard because that's where their entrance is," Scarantino said. "As a result, we had envisioned an improvement to the intersection because the Pulte Homes would kick it into a higher threshold of use."

Plans for the realignment show that it has been in the works since 2007. Revisions have been made since then, including amendments added in 2009 as required by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, the plan shows. 

Pulte Homes is "obligated" to construct the realignment, but the economic downturn in recent years has caused a delay in getting started, Scarantino said. 

"The time has come for them to implement it," he said. A "few details" must be worked out before construction on the reconfiguration can move forward, Scarantino said.

The county and the developer worked together during the reconfiguration planning process, Scarantino said.

"We laid out the concept. They tested it, they did a design and we reviewed it," he said. 

The township, through an electric utility company, will provide the electricity to the traffic signal and will pay for the power and battery, according to a resolution passed by the last week.