A reader asked a timely question about when a project to rebuild the circuitous network of ramps between I-280 and Route 21 in Newark. When will work start?
Ever get on or off I-280 at Route 21 in Newark? Then you know that exit needs an extreme interchange makeover.
Our question came from a commenter on NJ.com about the planned project that's been in various stages of discussion, planning and engineering since 2001.
Q: When is work supposed to begin for the new Route 21 North to Route 280 West interchange and other improvements at that spot?
A: The four stage project isn't as simple as it sounds and involves reconstruction of some of I-280's lanes and putting a new deck on the bridge that carries the highway over Martin Luther King Boulevard, in addition to improving an interchange that's wedged in a neighborhood.
But things are getting ready to roll. The DOT held a pre-construction public meeting on Sept. 15 in Newark about the $90 million federally-funded project.
GOT QUESTIONS?
Ticked off about mass transit? Wondering about road construction? E-mail your questions to NJ.com's transportation expert Larry Higgs. He'll answer your questions on Tuesdays and Thursdays on NJ.com. You can also Tweet @CommutingLarry.At that meeting, the DOT struck to its schedule of a fall 2015 start, three years of construction and a winter 2018 completion date.
The project also involves building new bridges to carry I-280 over Route 21 and ramps, and putting a new deck on the bridge over Broad Street. Because of the bridge work, temporary lanes for I-280 will be built while work is done on the inner portion of the highway.
What are drivers going to encounter?
Traffic on I-280 west to Route 21 south and Route 21 south to I-280 east will be rerouted through temporary signals and jughandles. Broad Street to the I-280 east ramp and the Route 21 north ramp to I-280 east will be closed for construction, but rerouted through detours. I-280 east to Route 21 south will not be affected.
Drivers on the highway will encounter lane shifts and there will be two weekends during the second phase of the construction where I-280 will be reduced to one lane while a deck is installed on the Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Readers have questions about road and transit projects which we try and get answers to, whether it's updating what's happening with replacing a bridge that carries Route 18 over busy Route 1 in Middlesex County to how much traffic will the new Route 7 Wittpenn bridge handle In Hudson County. Keep the questions coming.
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
