Construction is underway to improve Route 18 and the on and off ramps to the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 9 in East Brunswick, one of the biggest traffic bottlenecks in Middlesex County at commuter rush hour.

Construction crews began last month to clear the property on both sides of Route 18 near the interchange to make way for expanded ramps, a new bridge over the Turnpike ramps and a realignment of the highway away from the residential neighborhood off Naricon Place.

“The project will ease congestion on Route 18 southbound, improve the merge from the Turnpike ramps onto Route 18 northbound and make traffic flow more smoothly through Interchange 9,” said Tom Feeney, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. “The ongoing Interchange 6 to 9 widening program will benefit every driver who uses the Turnpike. This interchange project will benefit primarily those who live or work in Middlesex County and use Interchange 9 and Route 18 every day.”

Feeney said construction for the nearly $27.7 million project started in November and will take about 2½ years.

The Turnpike entrance ramp from Route 18 southbound is being widened from one lane to two. Changes are being made to Route 18 southbound and to Naricon Place to improve access to the Turnpike. The improvements will reduce the amount of weaving drivers have to do to get onto northbound Route 18 from Interchange 9 and make it easier to merge onto Route 18 northbound, Feeney said.

William Neary, the executive director of Keep Middlesex Moving, Middlesex County’s independent transportation management agency, said the improvements will help ease the major traffic congestion that occurs every rush hour at the merge of Route 18, the Turnpike and Route 1.

“I think it’s great that they’re trying to solve that clog,” Neary said. “But, I’m still unhappy that it’s taking so long for NJ Transit and the (state) Department of Transportation to begin dealing with the clog that occurs north of the Interchange at Route 1.”

He said the merges at Naricon Place are also dangerous, with cars and trucks weaving in and out of lanes as they come off the Turnpike northbound to get to Route 18 north or Route 1. The same applies for the Route 1 north merge onto Route 18 south.

The Turnpike Authority said one of the goals of the project is to improve the capacity of Route 18 southbound and to make the merges safer.

Interchange 9 consists of 12 ramps and a 16-lane toll plaza with five entry lanes, 10 exit lanes and one closed reversible lane, according to Turnpike Authority documents.

In the documents supporting the project, the authority said, “Route 18 is a heavily traveled arterial roadway, serving regional and local transportation needs of over 85,000 vehicles per day.”

One of East Brunswick’s two major transportation centers, where commuters come to pick up buses every day, is located just off Tower Center Boulevard, adjacent to the Hilton East Brunswick.

The documents said the work on the ramps and highway will be done at times to help minimize the impact on traffic and be done in stages, using temporary lane closures during permissible hours.

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