Warmer Weather Brings Out The Traffic Cones

The state Department of Transportation says you’ll have to get used to seeing orange cones and lane closures on bridges over Route 18 as the agency embarks on multi-million dollar construction project.

The DOT in a release on Monday said a $3.2 million construction project to mend the 38 bridges over the length of Route 18 in Monmouth and Middlesex counties begins with the Route 138 bridges. 

Single lane closures will be allowed on Route 18 in each direction during overnight and off-peak hours and shoulder closures will be allowed at any time. No closures will be allowed during weekends in the summer. The project is expected to be complete by fall, the release says.

“Maintaining our state’s transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair is a top priority at NJDOT,” DOT head James Simpson said in the release. “Performing these types of proactive, preventive repairs helps prolong the lifespan of these bridges and delays the need for more extensive and more expensive projects.”

To help extend the service life of 38 Route 18 structures between Wall Township and Piscataway, the DOT will be patching joints, sealing cracks and maintaining the abutment walls, the release says.