Route 166 will be closed and detoured tonight

The next round of Route 37-166 road work is scheduled for tonight when crews will be removing the remaining concrete median near Old Freehold Road in Toms River.

The NJ DOT  is scheduled to close Route 166 and detour it in both directions Thursday night as the intersection safety improvements project nears completion.

Work will begin at 9:00 p.m. and run until 6:00 a.m. Friday when the, NJDOT’s contractor, New Prince Concrete, is scheduled to close Route 166 in both directions between Route 37 and Mapletree Road to remove the remaining concrete barrier near the intersection with Old Freehold Road.

Local access to Route 166 will be maintained for residents and businesses.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors.

The following detour will be in place on Thursday night:

Route 166 northbound detour:
• Traffic wishing to use Route 166 northbound will be directed to take Route 37 east
• Go past Hooper Avenue and stay right following signs to CR549/Hooper Avenue north via the Lowell Avenue exit
• From Lowell Avenue turn right onto Terrace Avenue
• Turn right onto Hooper Avenue
• Stay right to take the jughandle for Edken Avenue/Walnut Street
• Turn left at the stop sign at Edken Avenue, which becomes Walnut Street
• Take Walnut Street and turn right on Old Freehold Road
• Turn left on Mapletree to Route 166

Route 166 southbound detour:
• Traffic on Route 166 southbound will be directed to turn left on Mapletree Road
• Turn right on Hooper Avenue
• Turn right on Route 37 west to Route 166

Final paving is expected to take place overnight in the next several weeks to complete the project.

The $11,700,000.00 project includes upgrades for the intersection of Route 166 and Route 37 with a raised median barrier between opposing traffic, improvement of the roadway geometry, making traffic signal improvements between Highland Parkway and Old Freehold Road, and widening the roadway by constructing a new through lane on Route 166 northbound and southbound.

NJ DOT Spokewoman Mairin Bellack told WOBM News in February that the project will be done this spring for sure.

"The final configuration will be done in the spring," Bellack said at the time. "Unfortunately we have to wait for warmer weather to do the final paving but as of right now the construction has been done, it's just waiting for the final paving."

Delays after delays are the biggest reason the work has yet to be completed and none bigger than the aforementioned TTF Shutdown which not only stopped work but forced the DOT to reschedule times with utility companies to come back in and do the work they needed to do.

"The $11.7 million state-funded project is expected to be completed this spring, before Memorial Day, when the weather is warmer, but we don’t have a date yet," NJ DOT Spokesman Steve Schapiro told WOBM News.

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