The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and Gov. Chris Christie broke ground last week on the $265 million project to rebuild portions of Route 35 battered by Hurricane Sandy last fall. Officials expect the full project to be completed by summer 2015.
Route 35 spans parts of nine counties north-south along New Jersey’s Barnegat Peninsula. Hurricane Sandy destroyed large portions of the highway when it rolled through in October, also destroying the highway’s drainage system.
The new project will focus on the 12.5-mile portion between Point Pleasant Beach and Island Beach State Park, with crews working in three phases. In addition to repairing the roadway, NJDOT also plans to implement Complete Streets improvements to make the route more friendly for pedestrians, bicyclists and public transit.
Eighty percent of the project will be funded directly by the Federal Highway Administration through its Sandy Emergency Relief program.
