Planning To Head North On Route 35 This Week From Toms River? Be Prepared For Extra Delays, Closures

The final paving for Route 35 and some side streets in Bay Head and Mantoloking will start on Monday as part of the massive $310 million reconstruction project after Superstorm Sandy continues, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Agate Construction Company is scheduled to pave Downer Street, Lyman Street, Goetze Street and Mount Street, throughout the week. The work will take place between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Lyman Street and Downer Street will be paved on Monday. Goetze Street will be paved on Tuesday. Mount Street will be paved on Wednesday.

All streets will be closed during those work hours. There will be no parking and no access to driveways on those streets the day it is paved. The DOT’s Community Outreach Team will notify residents in advance.

Route 35 is scheduled to be paved between Princeton Avenue and Curtis Point Drive between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday, with a single lane with alternating traffic.

The contractor will close Route 35 in both directions from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Friday at Osborne Avenue in Bay Head through Princeton Avenue in Mantoloking. The shoulders will be repaved the following week.

There will be no parking allowed on Route 35 in the work zone and no access to driveways during the overnight closure. Parking will be available on side streets.

The roadway needs to be closed to apply the surface course of asphalt using a process known as echelon paving. This technique eliminates the seams between lanes, which reduces the possibility of roadway deterioration and potholes, the DOT says.

The following signed detours will be in place, with local police assisting at points along the detour:

Southbound Detour

• Southbound motorists will turn right onto Osborne Avenue
• Turn left onto Lake Avenue
• Continue to Johnson Street then turn right at stop sign and turn left onto Clayton Avenue
• Clayton Avenue becomes Barnegat Lane in Mantoloking
• Continue to Herbert Street/Route 528 and turn right then immediate left turn onto Bay Avenue
• Turn left onto Princeton Avenue then turn right to return to Route 35 South

Northbound Detour

• Northbound traffic will turn left onto Princeton Avenue in Mantoloking
• Turn right onto Bay Avenue
• Continue to Herbert Street/Route 528 and turn right then immediate left on Barnegat Lane
• Barnegat Lane becomes Clayton Avenue in Bay Head
• Turn right onto Johnson Street then immediate left onto Lake Avenue
• Turn right onto Osborne Avenue then turn left to return to Route 35 North

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.

The new stone-and-asphalt roadway will be 2 feet thick, providing a more stable road and smoother driving surface. A new storm-water drainage system for Route 35 has been designed to handle 25-year storms and will feature nine pump stations and treatment facilities to filter and purify the storm water prior to discharge into Barnegat Bay.


Residents with questions may call the DOT at a hotline telephone number, 732-230-7356, or by e-mail at restore.nj35@dot.state.nj.us.