Route 166 to be closed overnight this week for final paving as project comes to completion in Toms River

Overnight detour will be in place between Route 37 and Mapletree Road

(Trenton) -New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced Route 166 is scheduled to be closed and detoured in both directions overnight this week for final paving, which will mark the completion of the Route 166 intersection safety improvements project in Toms River, Ocean County.

Beginning at 9 p.m. tonight, Monday, May 13 until 6 a.m. the next day, and continuing each night until Friday morning, May 17, NJDOT’s contractor, New Prince Concrete, is scheduled to close Route 166 in both directions between Route 37 and Mapletree Road for final paving between the intersection with Old Freehold Road and Route 37. Local access to Route 166 will be maintained for residents and businesses. The following detour will be in place Monday through Thursday nights:

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
• Go through the intersection with Route 37 and 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

In March, Route 166 reopened in its final configuration with two lanes in each direction. Following the paving this week, there will be some landscaping and minor work taking place over the next few weeks, but it will have minimal impact to traffic.

The $11.7 million state-funded Route 166 intersection safety improvements project upgraded the intersection of Route 166 with Route 37 by installing a raised median barrier between opposing traffic and improved the roadway geometry to improve safety. It also made traffic signal improvements between Highland Parkway and Old Freehold Road, and widened the roadway by constructing a new through lane on Route 166 northbound and southbound to help ease congestion.

In addition, the project made drainage improvements, constructed a retaining wall along the west side of Route 166 adjacent to the Dover Mall redevelopment and installed additional sign structures. The project began in March 2016 and was suspended for several months in 2017 due to the TTF shutdown.

Variable message signs are in place throughout the project limits to provide advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the safety improvements project.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info or on the NJDOT Facebook page.

Please note, the NJDOT Communications office has a new phone number – 609.963.1975