After decades of delays, a project to reduce bottlenecks and improve traffic and safety on Route 66 through Neptune Township is moving ahead, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today.

“This project is long overdue,” said Smith. “And today’s progress is a great example of tenacity and a teamwork approach with local, state and federal partners all working together to resolve a long-standing problem.”

At a meeting between State, federal and local officials earlier this week, a plan was detailed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to widen and improve a 1.2 mile section of Route 66 from two to four lanes, with turning lanes and a median. Federal funding is expected to pay for the $12 million project.

The need to widen Route 66 had been acknowledged and on the books for over 30 years, yet no shovel had ever been put to ground, Smith noted. The roadway was built in the early 1940s and has few upgrades since that time. Since the first proposals for upgrades were discussed many years ago, more and more people have moved to the surrounding area, and multiple retail outlets and restaurants have populated the road. All of that growth has added to the already-crowded roadway, which precipitously narrows from four lanes to two lanes for roughly one mile before reverting back to four lanes.

Smith said “the area is plagued by daily, bumper-to-bumper traffic jams which are worsened during the summer months.” He added that “that studies show the crash rate on Route 66 is three times the state average for this type of roadway, making the need for improvements even more critical.”

Additionally, the roadway serves as an emergency evacuation route for tens of thousands of Jersey Shore residents and provides access to and from the Garden State Parkway.  This makes it an important public safety corridor, said Smith.

“During storms—when the need for expeditious evacuation is paramount, the traffic moves at an alarmingly slow pace,” said Smith. “Past hurricanes and nor’easters have shown us how crucial this roadway is to public safety. Merging into a bottleneck is a dangerous situation that needs to be remedied. This plan is the remedy.”

Smith was not the congressman for Neptune Township until 2013, and the issue was brought to his attention in 2014.

“Last July, Mayor Brantley approached me on the Ocean Grove boardwalk and expressed the community’s frustration that the project to widen Route 66 had been discussed for over 30 years, but seemed eternally stalled. He asked for my help,” said Smith.  “Within days my staff met with Neptune officials to start working toward relief.”

Following that meeting, Smith reached out to the NJDOT Commissioner asking for a meeting with state officials. The State responded with the good news that a pavement reconstruction project would soon begin, but that pavement project has grown into a much more comprehensive plan.

The plan discussed Monday addresses all the deficiencies identified by research including pavement, intersections, traffic operations, safety and ADA compliance. Included in the plan are new traffic signals, crosswalks, curb ramps, sidewalks, improved access to retail businesses and storm water retention.  A new jughandle is proposed at the intersection of Route 66 and Wayside Road.

In November, planners expect to hold a public meeting in Neptune to provide additional information on the proposed plan. The engineering phase will begin and is scheduled to run through 2018. Construction is estimated to take place in 2019.

In a letter to then-Mayor Brantley in August 2014 Smith expressed his commitment to the project. His staff and NJDOT officials subsequently met to discuss details for the project and how he could help secure federal support at different stages and different agencies along the way. 

“For over a decade, the Neptune Township Committee has been working aggressively with the State and County agencies to try to alleviate the backups and bottlenecks on Route 66. Last summer, we contacted Congressman Smith asking for his help, and we are pleased the project is moving forward and we will continue with our full attention to the progress. If we can get this done, it would improve travel for a lot of motorists in this part of the county,” said Dr. Michael Brantley, now a committeeman in Neptune.

“I want to applaud everyone who has been involved in this project,” said Smith. “From the officials and engineers in Neptune Township and the staff of the Monmouth County public works department to the state officials and the NJDOT and NJ Transportation Planning Authority to the Federal Highway Administration—this is a genuine team effort with all levels of government working to mitigate a long-standing bottleneck.”

“I am pleased to have been able to help push through the red tape and resistance on this broken down highway project and move it forward to mitigate the historic and burdensome traffic delays on Route 66,” Smith said.

Congressman Smith reached out to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Commissioner Bob Martin regarding the need for the project. Smith also wrote in a letter to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Acting Administrator Gregory Nadeau in December 2014 asking for the agency’s support.  Click here to read Smith’s letter to FHWA. In August 2014, Smith sent a letter of support to NJDOT Acting Commissioner Joseph Bertoni about the need to address the traffic, congestion and safety of the coastal evacuation route. Click here to read Smith’s letter to NJDOT.  He also corresponded with NJDOT Commissioner Jamie Foxx on the matter.

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