Ocean County officials have approved more than $5 million in new public contracts, but the marquee project is a $3.48 million overhaul of a notorious Jackson intersection that has long been a source of congestion and safety concerns.
The county awarded the contract to Earle Asphalt Company to build a modern roundabout at New Central Avenue (CR 31) and North Hope Chapel Road (CR 639), a high-volume intersection that serves as a key artery for Jackson and Lakewood residents. County engineers say the redesign will ease traffic bottlenecks while reducing the kinds of collisions that plague traditional four-way intersections.
The roundabout project represents the single largest investment in the county’s new wave of contracts, which also includes $1.54 million for the Mill Creek Trail project, upgrades to roadway safety signage, and the acquisition of new vehicles for county services. But it is the Jackson intersection that stands out, both for its size and its potential impact on commuters in a fast-growing part of Ocean County.
The county also authorized contracts for solar-powered LED chevron radar signs and curve warning systems — technology expected to be deployed on stretches of road with heavy traffic in Lakewood and other townships. In Toms River, contracts were extended for fire alarm servicing at key public buildings and for septic and sewage pumping.
Why do you not fix and maintain the solar curve sings on route 539 ? Most of them are not working in both directions. You/we pay all that money to install them and no one maintains them.
It’s not Central Ave, It’s on New Central Ave