Route 166 Closing At James Street In Toms River Thursday

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Traffic will shifted on Route 166 and access to James Street will be closed and detoured amid the ongoing work on the roadway.

The work is set to being at 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, through 6 a.m. Friday. New Prince Concrete, the NJDOT contractor, is scheduled to shift traffic onto the newly completed southbound lanes on Route 166 north of the intersection with Route 37.

It will create a work zone and reconstruct the northbound side of Route 166. One lane will be maintained in each direction. The traffic shift is expected to be in place until later this fall.

In addition, access to James Street will closed. The following detour will be in place.

• Motorists traveling on Route 166 should continue north on Old Freehold Road
• Turn right on Walnut Street
• Turn right on Park Crest Road
• Turn left to continue on James Street

The $11.7 million state-funded Route 166 intersection safety improvements projects will upgrade the intersection of Route 166 with Route 37 by installing a raised median barrier between opposing traffic.

The work also will improve the roadway geometry, make traffic signal improvements between Highland Parkway and Old Freehold Road, and widen the road by constructing a new through lane on Route 166 northbound and southbound.

In addition, the project will make drainage improvements, construct a retaining wall along the west side of Route 166 adjacent to the Crossroads Center Mall redevelopment and install additional sign structures. The project, which began in March 2016, was suspended for several months in 2017 due to the Transportation Trust Fund shutdown, and is expected to be completed at the end of this year.

Variable message signs and detour signs are being utilized throughout the project limits to provide advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the safety improvements project. Throughout the project, NJDOT will provide information before upcoming road or ramp closures.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info or on the NJDOT Facebook page.

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Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff