UPPER FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of a road improvement project on Sharon Station Road (Route 539A) from Allentown-Davis Station Road (Route 539) to Allentown-Red Valley Road (Route 526) on Oct. 23.
“Through a collaboration with the township of Upper Freehold, the county will move forward with this road improvement project that will ultimately upgrade safety along this 1.5-mile-long corridor,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the Department of Public Works and Engineering.
“Both the county and Upper Freehold saw a need for improvements as Sharon Station Road is a well-traveled road. The safety of motorists who frequently drive this stretch of road is top priority,” Arnone said.
The project will improve the operational safety of Sharon Station Road through the construction of a boulevard-style road for the 1.5-mile-long corridor, according to a press release from the county.
Road improvements will include an upgraded traffic signal at the intersection with Allentown-Red Valley Road, a roundabout at the intersection with Allentown-Davis Station Road and the replacement of three existing county bridges over Doctors Creek and its streams, according to the press release.
The construction contract was awarded on Oct. 10 to Lucas Brothers Inc. in the amount of $18.52 million. The design consultant for the project is Van Cleef Engineering Associates and construction administration and inspections will be completed by Maser Consulting, according to the press release.
Active construction is anticipated to take two years to complete and should commence by the end of 2019.
In total, Monmouth County maintains approximately 1,000 lane miles of roads, 980 bridges and culverts, and 250 traffic signals and beacons.