TOMS RIVER — A major reconstruction project aimed at improving safety and traffic flow along a busy stretch of the Garden State Parkway in Ocean County is expected to get underway in spring 2027.
The estimated $193 million project will cover roughly three miles of the Parkway between Exits 80 and 83, running through South Toms River, Berkeley Township and Toms River.
The work will include changes at several heavily traveled interchanges, including Exit 82 at Route 37, a major route for drivers heading toward Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and other barrier island communities.
Plans call for new or redesigned entrance and exit ramps, wider shoulders, longer acceleration and deceleration lanes and better sight distances. Eleven bridges within the project area are also slated for replacement.
At Exits 82B and 82C, four ramps connecting the Parkway and Route 37 are expected to be rebuilt with less severe curves. Additional work is planned near Route 9, Double Trouble Road, Lakehurst Road and Indian Head Road.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority said the improvements are intended to address safety concerns and ease traffic movement along a section of highway where crash rates have exceeded statewide averages.
According to state data, 63 crashes of varying severity were reported on or near the three affected interchanges last year, including one fatal crash.
The project remains in the final design stage, with a public hearing anticipated before construction begins.
Once work starts, officials expect the project to take about four years to complete.
