Update: Lt. Gov. to attend Parkway Project Groundbreaking Feb. 4

CREST HAVEN – Under normal circumstances, Feb. 4 would be just another day. Not this year.
Rain, snow or sun, the date will go down in local history as the day when a bevy of local, county, state and federal officials will gather at the Cape May County Administration Building, 4 Moore Road at 11 a.m. to break ground for the $125-million project that will eliminate traffic signals at the 172-mile highway’s only three intersections.
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and state DOT Commissioner James Simpson are to head the state delegation.
It seemed to many the day would never arrive. There were hours of hearings. Engineers explained and some residents opposed while others wanted the job done immediately.
The public is invited to witness the occasion.
Those infamous exits, 9, 10 and 11, at Crest Haven Road, Stone Harbor Boulevard and Shell Bay Avenue, have been the location of numerous accidents, some of them fatal.
U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) plans to take time away labors on Capitol Hill to join others and probably grab a shovel and throw some dirt skyward to help mark the opening of the massive, multi-year project.
In a release, the congressman stated, “As the only South Jersey member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, LoBiondo secured $37.1 million in federal funding for the design and construction of a project to eliminate the three traffic lights along the southern portion of the Garden State Parkway.”
First District Sen. Jeff Van Drew, who also advocated for the project, also plans to stay away from Trenton long enough to participate in the once-in-a-lifetime event.
His release noted, “Sen. Van Drew on Monday will join state and federal officials at the groundbreaking of a long-awaited project that will address a major safety hazard on the Garden State Parkway by removing traffic lights from the Cape May County section of the roadway, the only portion with traffic lights remaining, and reconfiguring the intersections.
VanDrew “hailed the scheduled groundbreaking as a significant step forward in his effort to improve safety in the area, which he has been working on for more than a decade.”
“I am extremely encouraged to see progress on this major transportation project in Cape May County,” VanDrew continued.
“The portion of the Garden State Parkway in Cape May County is the only area of the roadway with traffic lights, which poses a significant danger to motorists and has resulted in serious vehicle collisions. I am pleased that after years of pushing for this project at the local and state level, we are finally seeing movement. This is good news for the residents of this region.”
Overpasses will speed motorists over those three intersections while ramps will allow access and egress.
After the groundbreaking, at its regular meeting at 6 p.m., Middle Township Committee has on its agenda the introduction of an ordinance dealing with easements for parkway work that will affect Ormond Road and Brighton Road.
That ordinance, which must be published then have a public hearing, notes “the Parkway Interchange 9, 10 and 11 Improvements and the Township Improvements will require the relocation of certain utilities including, but not limited to those operated by GS4 Technology (formerly Adesta LLC), Verizon-New Jersey Inc., Comcast, Atlantic City Electric Company, South Jersey Gas Company, NJ American Water, Cape May County Water, Middle Township Water District No. 4, Middle Township Sewer Department, and Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority.”
The mayor and municipal clerk would be authorized to sign those easement documents if the ordinance is passed in March. Both Ormond and Brighton are township roads.