A local road improvement project that has been under discussion and in the planning stages since Ronald Reagan was president is one step closer to coming to fruition.
On April 3, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders approved plans and specifications for road improvements to Halls Mill Road and county Route 524 (Elton-Adelphia Road) in Freehold Township and Howell.
The plans have been approved for public bidding and construction. According to a resolution, the freeholders determined a need exists for the improvements. The plans and specifications have been prepared by T&M Associates.
The Halls Mill Road project has been in development since the 1980s when Freehold Township initially conducted studies regarding the realignment of Halls Mill Road between Three Brooks Road and Route 524, according to previously published articles.
Jurisdiction for the project subsequently switched to Monmouth County, which pursued and received federal funding. Construction will take place over 1.9 miles on Halls Mill Road between Three Brooks Road in Freehold Township and Route 524 at the border of Freehold Township and Howell.
In an article published in 2018, county officials said a construction contract was planned to be awarded in early 2019, with construction planned to start by the spring of 2019. County officials said with that schedule, the project’s planned completion would be the summer of 2021.
The freeholders’ action on April 3 to seek bids for the project is close to the timeline officials presented to the public last year.
The project will include the realignment of Halls Mill Road, which will result in Halls Mill Road ending on Route 524 opposite Edinburgh Drive. At present, Halls Mill Road and Edinburgh Drive both intersect Route 524, but not opposite each other.
The project will include a new traffic signal at the intersection of Edinburgh Drive and Route 9; a traffic signal at the new intersection of Halls Mill Road, Edinburgh Drive and Route 524; and a new traffic signal at the intersection of Halls Mill and Three Brooks roads.
Other improvements will include the creation of a cul-de-sac on Spyglass Hill Road; a pedestrian crossing beacon on Edinburgh Drive at Kapalua Court and Wentworth Drive; sidewalks on Route 524; and enhanced lighting. Left turn lanes will be included at all signalized intersections, according to county officials.