Public Views Proposal to Improve Parkway Exit 163

New Jersey Turnpike Authority representatives gave the public a preview Wednesday of what the changes proposed for Exit 163 on the Garden State Parkway will do to improve traffic and safer travel in the area.

Dozens filed in and out of the Paramus Life Safety Building Wednesday to see the plans. Many studied the maps of the proposed changes closely, others asked the represenatives questions. All were invited to fill out a comment sheet with suggestions concerns which the representatives said they would take into consideration as they move ahead with the plans.

The project would reconfigure the Parkway exits on North and South from the left side of the roadway to the right side of the roadway. Currently Exit 163 is one of the only lefthand exits in existence.

The changes are designed to improve traffic and safety. According to Lamis Malak, New Jersey Turnpike Authority senior highway engineer, there has been a high accident rate in the area, including a number of severe accidents. Currently when traffic backs up from the exit ramp it backs up into the lefthand side 'fast lane' further down on the Parkway which can frequently cause accidents, she explained.

The change is also designed to ease the flow of traffic. Parkway north and south are currently split in the area of Exit 163 separated by a median but this will change with the improvements. The main flow of the parkway on both sides will be moved inward to where the median area is now and the exit ramps to Route 17 will be on the right, explained Malak.

Vehicles will still access Route 17 in the same area they currently do now and although the exits ramps will change coming off the Parkway the vehicles will enter Route 17 in the same area they do currently once the changes are made.

Other changes include the rehabilitation of the existing bridges and the construction of three new brides which is all part of the new design.

Currenlty the project is estimated at $62 million just for construction costs, according to Malak.

Malak and the other representatives on hand spoke one-on-one with the individuals who came forward with questions. Some residents asked about the addition of a sound barrier to improve noise in the area. Others wanted to know how long the project would take and were concerned about it affecting traffic on Route 17.

The project is expected to take about two years with construction likely to begin in 2014. Plans still need to be submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection for approvals, said Malak.

Written comments about the project can be sent to:

New Jersey Turnpike Authority, Engineering Department
P.O. Box 5042, Woodbridge, NJ 07095-5042
Attn: Lamis Malak, PE. Sr. Highway Engineer