If the Department of Transportation has a multi-year, mega-million dollar project under construction, there is no better commuter to impress than the boss of the state Senate.

Direct Connection — the $900 million project to untangle the asphalt knot in South Jersey that is the junction of I-295, I-76 and Route 42 — won’t be complete until 2024. But State Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said he’s driven it and he’s seen a difference.

“That was the third-worst road system in the state. Traffic is already flowing better..even though it backs up for a few miles, it moves better,” Sweeney said. “In the past, you’d just sit there.”

New Jersey DOT officials aren’t resting on the laurels of that comment. Construction began in the winter of 2013 and is expected to be complete in 2024. That schedule is off by about two years from a 2022 completion date because some modifications had to be made to pre-cast pier designs

“The extra work has increased costs slightly from $192.2 million to $196.6 million and pushed the completion of this contract back about two years,” said Steve Schapiro, a DOT spokesman.

There are reasons to spend this much on the project, such as reducing crashes. Various sections of I-295 in Bellmawr has made NJ Advance Media’s analysis of worst crash locations on state highways in 2018, 2017 and 2016.

How has Direct Connection progressed?

This year saw the completion and opening of a covered roadway in February, where two lanes of I-76 east traffic merges with three lanes of traffic from I-295 north. That work started in June 2014 and is the most notable part of contract two, Schapiro said.

Part of Contract 1 helped traffic by building a temporary ramp to eliminate making drivers weave between Route 42 north and I-295 north for the duration of construction, and a new ramp from I-295 north over Route 42 was built.

“These ramps have improved safety and allow for an easier flow of traffic, which has helped minimize congestion during construction,” Schapiro said.

Work progresses on a ramp and sound barriers under construction as part of NJDOT's Direct Connection project to fix the junction of I-295, I-76, and Route 42 in Bellmawr.Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media

A portion of a new I-295 bridge, that will go over the ramp from I-76 east to I-295 north, was completed in July of 2019. The rest of the bridge will be built as part of Contract 3.

“Contract 2 took about a year-and-half longer than expected because of delays in completing Contract 1 and some design changes in Contract 2, which resulted in some increased costs,” he said.

Work on Contract 3 began in April 2017 and officials expected to finish late 2024, Schapiro said. This part of the project contains the actual “Direct Connection.”

“The main focus of this contract is completing the new bridge, which is the I-295 mainline direct connection over I-76/Route 42,” Schapiro said.

Work completed in 2019 includes two bridge abutments, installing noise walls between Bellmawr Park and I-76 building retaining wall on I-295 south to Route 42 and finishing road construction in Bellmawr Park Mutual Housing Authority, he said.

What remains on DOT’s honey-do list? Reconstructing the Browning Road Bridge, building abutments on I-295 north and south, several piers for the I-295 bridge, and bridge between Route 42 north to I-295 north and the concrete median on Rt. I-76.

Then there is the final contract 4 that’s expected to go to bid 2022 and begin construction shortly afterward, Schapiro said. It includes the completion of work along I-76/Route 42, I-295 north, a ramp from I-295 south to I-76 west and the rest of the ramp from I-295 south to I-76 east and Route 42 south.

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

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters