Construction has started on the realigning of Blackwood-Barnsboro Road in Washington Township, where it connects to Egg Harbor Road. The new connection point will be further away from the center of the main 5-points intersection and include a new TRAFFIC SIGNAL, which should provide for better traffic flow in and out of Blackwood-Barnsboro Road. This change will also make room for a to-be-developed Super Wawa which will be sitting in a new, larger wedge of the 5-points intersection… but positioned facing Egg Harbor Road. Most of this land is currently the County Conservation (Mulch) business.

The new alignment appears to be in line with Ronald Lane, which is the access road along side McDonald’s and connects Route 47 and Egg Harbor Road. The new traffic signal will be a benefit to the Ronald Lane intersection also, as it can also be very dangerous when pulling onto Egg Harbor Road. Hmmm…. It would seem that Ronald Lane will be seeing a lot more traffic with this new road configuration, but I don’t see it listed as getting repaved. Last time I drove it, it was in bad shape.

There currently is another cut-through road from Rt 47N behind the Exxon gas station which lines up Blackwood-Barnsboro Road. In the new design a Wawa entrance seems to line up directly across from it. I am not aware if that road remains after this project is completed.

I knew this reconfiguration was coming, as 42Freeway was the first to post about the new Super Wawa back in Nov 2018, and immediately recognized the developer’s clever idea of moving the Blackwood-Barnsboro Road connection point further down Egg Harbor Road. Then this morning I happened to catch a notice about “resurfacing and safety improvements” on Blackwood-Barnsboro Rd. With no mention of the road realignment, I reached out to JPC Group and promptly got a confirmation that:

Yes, the road work that is part of this project does include re-aligning Blackwood-Barnsboro Road where it connects with Egg Harbor Road… there will be a new traffic light at the intersection of the re-aligned Blackwood-Barnsboro Rd. and Egg Harbor Rd. to improve the safety of this intersection.

According to the notification the road project is to start this week, and be completed by the end of July.

The full project includes the intersection with Woodbury-Turnersville Road, where the Nik Nak Food Market is located

Complete the resurfacing and safety improvements to Blackwood Barnsboro Road (CR 603) from Egg Harbor Road (CR 630) to Hampshire Avenue, and Woodbury Turnersville Road (CR 621) between Branchwood Drive and Farrier Avenue in the Townships of Washington and Deptford

Five Points: Deptford and Washington Township

We know the intersection where Rt 47, 41, Egg Harbor Road , etc meet is Five-points, but in reality today only 4 “points” enter into the intersection. Decades ago it seemed it was 6 and around 1964 it was reconfigured to give us what we have now… a disjointed Blackwood-Barnsboro Road which on both ends of the core 5 points intersection redirects to connect to other roads. Meaning, on the Washington Twp side the roadway was curved to connect more east on Egg Harbor Road, and on the Deptford side it starts further down Route 47 across for Seven Star Diner.

While this removed complexity in the center of the 5 points intersection, to some degree the problems were just shifted.

Two benefits

Safety: I very frequently drive from Deptford into Washington Township on Egg Harbor Road and see the problem first hand… where Blackwood-Barnsboro meets Egg Harbor Road there are problems:

Too Close: The intersection is too close to the center of the main 5-points intersection and frequently the traffic backs up from the traffic light, blocking drivers trying to get out onto Egg Harbor Rd.

No Traffic Light: Currently there is no traffic light at this disjointed intersection, so cars trying to enter on to Egg Harbor Road from Blackwood-Barnsboro… especially those trying to turn left… face a very difficult, and at times dangerous… left turn. Cars coming through 5 points onto Egg Harbor Road simply don’t see the cars on Blackwood-Barnsboro when things are backed up! So add a light there!? Well, because it is so close to the main 5 points intersection, another traffic signal so close just wouldn’t work. Moving the Blackwood-Barnsboro intersection back will give adequate spacing. Ronald Lane: Additionally, as previously mentioned the access road Ronald Lane enters Egg Harbor Road in a dangerous configuration… the road is higher than traffic coming from the left. there is no shoulder on Egg Harbor Road, and there is commercial landscaping obstructing the view.



Super Wawa: As mentioned and previously reported, a new Super Wawa with gas pumps is planned for that intersection, and by moving Blackwood-Barnsboro farther away, it leaves a much larger plot of land right at the 5 points intersection. This is where the new Wawa is going in, and in fact there is room for a second building which will be leased to another retailer. Continuing up further on Egg Harbor Road the developer has hopes to later on add additional retail along Egg Harbor Road.

42Freeway previous posts

JPC Group

The company doing the road work, JPC Group, is based right in Washington Township! In fact, they are connected to this project in numerous ways!

JPC Group is doing the full resurfacing and realigning of Blackwood-Barnsboro Road

JPC Group offices are located right on Blackwood-Barnsboro Road.

JPC Group owns all the land in the area along Egg Harbor Road, including the large County Conservation property

JPC Group is the developer for the new Super Wawa and other stores!

An awesome success story for a locally based company!

Based on what I’ve read on this project, it appears to me that JPC Group is paying for the roadwork construction (to facilitate the Wawa and other development) and once completed the road ownership will be turned over to the County.

While I am in Deptford, I live very close to this intersection and drive through it multiple times a week and will benefit from these changes… plus, while I am a big fan of the local old school Wawa on Rt 41…. we really could use a Super Wawa in the area. Although if my small Deptford Wawa were to close it would mean a longer drive for us. #FirstWorldProblems