After years of advocacy and delays, a long-awaited traffic signal at Route 9 and Oak Street was activated Tuesday morning, easing congestion on one of Lakewood’s busiest roadways.
The new signal is part of a $48.5 million New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) project that will resurface seven miles of Route 9 and upgrade safety at multiple intersections. Officials say the change will help reduce frequent crashes and alleviate backups on the heavily traveled corridor, which has struggled to keep pace with Lakewood’s rapid population growth.
Calls for a signal at Oak Street go back more than six years. The Lakewood Township Committee began pushing for NJDOT approval in 2019, since Route 9 is a state-owned highway requiring state authorization for any redesign. Early plans in 2020 proposed widening northbound Route 9 to three lanes at the intersection, including new turn lanes to accommodate a signalized traffic flow.
In 2022, NJDOT expanded the effort further, adding a second new signal at Broadway/Chateau Drive as part of broader resurfacing and safety improvements. Major construction began in April 2025, bringing detours and overnight closures as crews prepared the intersections. While the Broadway light was completed earlier, supply chain delays pushed back the activation of the Oak Street signal until this week.
Hi, I’m glad finally that intersection has a new light on Oak St and Rt 9 in Lakewood, what about Locust St, Seagull Square shopping plaza, Cross St, Prospect St, James St, Pine St, Central Ave, Hurley Ave, Main St Rt 88, Lake Drive and 2nd St? The whole downtown Lakewood Rt 9 needs Milling and Paving. Hope NJDOT will put the button signs up and completely be activated. But anyways, thank you.