Manahawkin's Martin Truex Jr. Blvd. Closes For Roadwork

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — Martin Truex Jr. Boulevard will be closed this week as part of the Route 72 East Road project. All lanes on the road will be closed near Chase Bank until 6 p.m. Friday for drainage work and road reconstruction.

Access to the Stafford Square Shopping Center will be maintained up to the AtlantiCare Urgent Care Center or through Doc Cramer Boulevard. For drivers traveling to Route 72, a signed detour will be in place via McKinley Avenue and Doc Cramer Boulevard.

The $11.6-million, federally funded Route 72 East Road project addresses congestion and safety concerns while also providing highway and signal intersection improvements, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Construction is expected to culminate late this year.

The project will include the addition of a 10-foot shoulder in each direction on Route 72 between the Garden State Parkway and the Stafford Square Shopping Center, median widening, new barrier curbs, and new traffic signals and roadway improvements at two Route 72 intersections — Roosevelt Boulevard and Doc Cramer Boulevard.

There will also be a new culvert and revised jug handle circling a water basin from Route 72 westbound to a relocated East Road. NJDOT is moving East Road about 200 feet east of its current location.

Two storm water basins will be constructed further down on Route 72 westbound. West Road will relocate east from its current location between McDonalds and Mr. Tire to a new location between Element Restaurant and Starboard Plaza.

Washington Road, located parallel to Route 72, will end at the new West Road.

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