Motorists, rejoice.
Much needed improvements to Route 70 between Route 38 in Pennsauken and Cropwell Road in Evesham Township are in the planning stages through the state Department of Transportation.
Upgrades are being planned for both east and westbound lanes, according to Tim Greeley, spokesman for NJDOT. The entire span of Cherry Hill is to be included in the design.
“The existing ramps and intersections within the project limit would be addressed as well,” Greeley said.
A briefing was held with local officials in January and feedback was positive, he said.
“A design consultant prepared the initial concept development report for NJDOT this summer, and we have submitted that to the Federal Highway Administration. Once accepted, the department will then begin preliminary engineering on the project later this year,” he said.
Currently, the schedule through the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program calls for construction to begin in 2015 with an expected cost of $20 million, according to state documents, “but certainly that is contingent upon the conclusion of the prior stages necessary to advance such a project — design, environmental permitting,” Greeley said.
The portion of Route 70 was targeted in 2010 as needing repairs.
“There are necessary steps that need to be taken to properly advance this project to ensure that it can provide the maximum benefit for motorists on Route 70, while also limiting the impact that construction will have on the businesses and residents,” he said.
There are several improvements to be had, besides the pavement reconstruction that will benefit motorists and pedestrians alike, he said.
They include traffic signal upgrades, including installation of image detection and crosswalks; pedestrian upgrades, including ADA-compatible curb ramps detectable warning surfaces, pedestrian countdown signal heads and pedestrian pushbuttons; installation of new sidewalk and replacement of deteriorated sidewalk; drainage improvements at several locations; and construction of storm water management basins/water quality treatment facilities.”
Over the years, the road has evolved. The road was originally made from concrete pavement in 1930, Greeley said.
“Generally these pavements had joints between the slabs spaced about 50 to 80 feet apart. As the joints deteriorated over time and the edges of the concrete spalled and broke off, repairs were made by maintenance personnel,” he said. “Eventually, the concrete became so deteriorated that concrete strips were typically cut out at these joints and the space was filled with asphalt. Later, the concrete was eventually overlaid with an asphalt surface over the entire roadway surface, and this type of roadway is classified as composite (i.e. asphalt over old concrete). Much of this major work was done in this area prior to the 1990s.”
Smaller surface repairs have been done recently, but reflective cracking is always a possibility.
“Thus, there is a high probability of cracking longitudinally along and transversely across the roadway at the locations of the deteriorated joints in the concrete below the surface,” he said. “The transverse cracks where the concrete joints were previously filled with asphalt tend to heave up as the concrete slabs thermally expand along the roadway. The asphalt material (especially in hot weather) is pushed up and then hardens that way.”
Due to such intense issues, the beginning stage of the overhaul is arduous.
“These conditions are the reason that the area cannot be fixed properly with simple solutions, and why the project is going through a rigorous design phase,” he said.
Keep up-to-date with state road projects by visiting www.state.nj.us/transportation.
