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Work on the $2.5 billion project to widen the NJ Turnpike between interchanges 6 and 9 shown here, is finishing up and the new lanes are scheduled to open this weekend.

(nj.com file photo)

The massive $2.5 billion project to widen the New Jersey Turnpike between Interchange 6 and 9 is tentatively scheduled to open to traffic on this weekend, starting with the northbound lanes.

Crews are finishing up the final work on what amounts to 170 miles of new lanes to widen the turnpike from 6 to 12 lanes, which began in June 2009.

"The plan is to open the northbound lanes this weekend and the southbound lanes the following weekend," said Thomas Feeney, turnpike authority spokesman.



Final work on the northbound lanes will be done Friday night in to Saturday morning with a tentative opening to traffic "sometime Saturday", weather permitting. Feeney said



Final paving is being finished Tuesday, to be followed by striping and line painting, said Robert Fischer, chief engineer. The project is finishing ahead of the official completion date of mid-November, he said.

That final work, including moving barriers and changing signs is weather dependent and the opening could be postponed if rain is forecast, he said. Wet weather is forecast for the next two days, but Friday's ceremonial event is scheduled to take place, rain or shine, Feeney said.



The project is the largest in the 63-year history of the Turnpike. It was financed through a series of bonds, which will be repaid with revenue from the last toll hike, which took effect in October 2008 and were phased in. The last part of the toll increase was implemented in 2012.



The project was undertaken to eliminate the bottleneck in the vicinity of Interchange 8A where the Turnpike's car and truck lanes merge.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.