The Ocean County Board of Freeholders awarded a contract to a Cliffwood Beach company on Nov. 18 to provide safety improvements along a 25-mile stretch of Route 539.
Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly said, “This work will bring much needed safety improvements to this road.”
The board awarded the contract to DeFino Contracting Company in the amount of $3,679,970. The award is contingent upon approval from the state Department of Transportation, according to a press release from the county.
“This is a road that winds through seven municipalities – from Little Egg Harbor Township to Plumsted Township,” Kelly said. “Motorists who use this road regularly will encounter numerous new safety features when this work is completed.”
The project will be funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s High Risk Rural Road program. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2016, according to the press release. Improvements will include the installation of centerline rumble strips, all-weather reflective striping, new raised pavement markers and new upgraded signs.
“The centerline rumble strips will help to reduce centerline crossover accidents and the all-weather reflective striping will help to improve nighttime visibility, especially in bad weather,” Kelly said.
He added that the new pavement markers and new signs will also help enhance visibility.
In addition, a high friction treatment surface will be installed at six curves along with LED Chevron signs. Together these treatments will provide visual cues both day and night, alerting drivers to enter the curves with caution, according to the press release.
“All of this work should help motorists better navigate this road,” Kelly said. “Adding all of these improvements and upgrades will create a safer road.”
Route 539 is a two-lane road for the majority of the length of this project.
Portions of the road run through Little Egg Harbor, Stafford, Barnegat, Lacey, Manchester, Jackson and Plumsted townships.
The project was one of five throughout the region approved for a grant through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s fiscal year 2015 High Risk Rural Roads Program, which provides federal funds to counties for high-impact, cost-effective safety improvements.
The project seeks to reduce wet weather accidents, sideswipes and centerline crossover crashes along the route from the Garden State Parkway in Little Egg Harbor Township to one mile south of Long Swamp Road in Plumsted Township.
“County Route 539 is a scenic two-lane road that runs through the heart of the Pinelands and serves as an important access route for Joint Base McGuire-Dix- Lakehurst,” said Freeholder James F. Lacey, liaison to the county’s Road Department and first vice chairman of the NJTPA. “These improvements target areas along the route where sharp curves and reduced visibility present the worst hazards for drivers.”
Ocean County used cutting edge database tools made available by NJTPA to assess Route 539 and to make application for the High Risk Rural Road funding.
Kelly noted the County has been working in partnership with county and local law enforcement agencies to help reduce accidents on the roadway.
“We also urge drivers to be vigilant and focus on driving,” Kelly said. “Combining the safety improvements, law enforcement efforts and driver vigilance will help make for safer travel.”