NJDOT continues progress on I-287 rehabilitation project in Piscataway and Franklin

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced that normal traffic patterns will be restored on Interstate 287 eastbound and westbound in the vicinity of Possumtown Road in Piscataway, Middlesex County.

On Friday, April 29, NJDOT’s contractor, Crisdel Inc., will implement overnight single and double-lane closures on I-287 in each direction around milepost 8.5 to remove the existing temporary crossover lanes, temporary contra-flow lane and construction barrier and to restripe the roadway. By 6 a.m. Saturday, April 30, the original traffic pattern will be restored on I-287 with three travel lanes open in each direction.

Restoring the original traffic pattern at this location marks a milestone in the $29 million federally-funded project to rehabilitate and improve seven miles of I-287 from Stelton Road in Piscataway to approximately Main Street in Franklin Township, Somerset County. Once completed, the project will provide a safer, smoother ride for thousands of commuters who travel each day on this section of the busy highway.

The project is also repairing the bridge decks on I-287 in both directions over Possumtown Road and the I-287 northbound bridge deck over the Easton Avenue entrance ramp. The project will extend the lifespan of the roadway by more than 15 years and the new bridge decks by 50 years. Remaining work includes Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and guide rail installations, deck joint repairs and final cleanup. Construction is expected to be substantially completed in late-summer 2011.

The project is bookended by two other I-287 resurfacing projects that will result in a total of 20.5 contiguous miles of smoother, safer travel lanes for I-287 motorists in Middlesex and Somerset counties.

These additional projects include a $40 million reconstruction project covering almost six miles of the roadway from the New Jersey Turnpike to Stelton Road (I-287 Interchange 5). Traversing Edison, Metuchen and South Plainfield, the work was completed in November 2010.

The other project, which began construction in spring 2010, is repairing concrete pavement and resurfacing 7.6 miles of I-287 from Main Street in Franklin Township to a point south of I-78 in Bridgewater Township. That $17.7 million project is expected to wrap up in summer 2012.

NJDOT is working with the State Police to maintain safe conditions for workers and motorists in the construction zone. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website, www.511nj.org for traffic updates.