Road improvements in Middletown could delay mid-day NJ Transit commuters this week

Residents of the north side of Middletown and Bayshore residents who commute mid-day on NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line via the Middletown train station should leave home earlier than usual this week as Church Street (County Road 50) will be closed near Kings Highway for road construction and improvements, according to an announcement by Freeholder Director Tom Arnone.

Weather permitting, the plan is for Church St to be closed from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m., Monday March 19 through Friday, March 23. Riders of 9 trains that leave Middletown starting with the 9:31 a.m. departure through the 4:06 p.m departure could be delayed.

The improvements will include the installation of a fully-actuated traffic signal, widening of Kings Highway to accommodate a center left-turn lane for entering Church Street, new pavement road surface, a new peanut-stone curb, drainage, pedestrian sidewalks and ADA Compliant Curb Ramps.

The construction work is expected to be substantially completed by mid May. Motorists should expect intermittent lane shifts on Kings Highway and road closures and detours on Church Street as work is being completed.

“This project is the result of studies that evaluated traffic issues at the intersection” said Arnone, liaison to the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “The goal is to improve operations and overall safety of the traveling public in the area.”

The County of Monmouth County maintains of approximately 1,000 lane miles of roads, 980 bridges and culverts and 250 traffic signals and beacons.