The Route 295/42/76 interchange as we know it is on its way out—over the next several years, a series of viaducts, new ramps and bridges will transform the tangled mess of concrete spaghetti in a dramatic redesign.
With the Al-Jo set to go the way of the dodo, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is holding an informal information session Thursday evening in Bellmawr on the project, dubbed Direct Connect.
Designed to give residents and commuters a look at what the full project entails—10 new bridges, three miles of noise barriers, 22 retaining walls, and more, among the massive changes to the roads themselves—how long it will take and how it'll help alleviate the daily traffic nightmare that is the current configuration.
“This is a major multi-year project that will have a substantial impact on Camden County motorists and several municipalities,” said freeholder Ian Leonard, liaison the Camden County Department of Public Works, in a statement Wednesday. “It is important for county residents to be aware of how this construction will affect their commute and their communities.”
With work tentatively slated to begin in March, the eight-year, $900 million project is split into four phases, which will overlap as the roads are realigned. The last pieces, mostly along Route 42, wouldn't be complete until 2021, according to the DOT's plans.
The changes will eliminate some of what state officials said are the most dangerous elements of the current alignment, including the weaving merge between Route 42 north and Route 295.
DOT representatives will be on hand, with maps and plans in hand for public inspection, for the information meeting Thursday night, which is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Bellmawr Ballroom, at 29 Lewis Avenue in Bellmawr.
295 done, and 55 too, this project is hurtling along on a fast track.
Seriously, that statement is ludicrous and downright silly. Ask residents of Dallas and Houston, they'll tell you they suffer just as much from construction efforts aimed at retrofitting old highways that were built when the population was much much lower.
This will be South Jersey's version of the Big Dig. Over budget. Nowhere near done in 8 years. Count on it.
If you haven't got a clue as to the logistics of the job you're just a bantering troll.