Eatontown will look at rezoning intersection

Eatontown will look at rezoning intersection
Roadwork to begin this month on Route 35/36 interchange
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
With roadwork set to begin this month, Eatontown is considering changing zoning regulations around the Route 35/36 intersection.

Roadwork on Routes 35 and 36 in Eatontown will alleviate traffic congestion at this busy intersection. Roadwork on Routes 35 and 36 in Eatontown will alleviate traffic congestion at this busy intersection. Eatontown Business Administrator George Jackson requested that the council authorize planner Jennifer Beahm, of Birdsall Engineering, to study rezoning the area.

“We’ve had a discussion with Ms. Beahm about the prospect of doing some rezoning in relation to the Route 35 and Route 36 improvements,” Jackson said at the March 3 workshop meeting.

“We want to reflect the changes [rezoning] would have on those properties,” he added. “Ms. Beahm has submitted a proposal, and she has a figure of $8,500 that we would charge to our general engineering.”

The project is expected to bring significant improvements to the congested interchange, which carries travelers to and from the shore and Monmouth Park.

Jackson explained the possible zoning changes further in an interview after the meeting.

“We are going to be looking at the zoning for the properties along the improvements because there is going to be an expansion of the highway and taking of [portions of] properties,” he said.

Jackson explained that with certain properties losing frontage, the resulting parcels may not conform to zoning regulations.

“It is our concern that with some of the lane widenings, the existing buildings would actually be in violation of our current zoning,” he said.

Jackson said the properties would be grandfathered and not be in violation of the zoning code, but new construction could be.

“In the event the building is going to be replaced by an identical building, they would have to get a variance,” he said

Jackson said the former Levitz building and the Macy’s furniture outlet store on Route 35 north would both be affected.

“They are going to lose some property,” he said. “Their setbacks are going to be affected, so we want to address it.”

Jackson also gave an updated schedule of the intersection construction, which is set to begin March 22.

“The construction project is going to take about two years, and we don’t have a hard timetable on this for zoning,” he added.

He said the rezoning recommendations would ultimately go back to the Borough Council for approval.

“We are going to authorize our planner to go ahead and examine all the properties and come up with suggestions for us that the council will have to consider and decide whether or not to change the zoning,” he said.

Plans call for a new jughandle to be constructed at the intersection to allow drivers traveling east on Route 36 to access Route 35 north.

Construction of a new dual left-turn lane is included in the plans to allow vehicles traveling south on Route 35 to make a left turn onto Route 36.

The current layout of the intersection requires drivers to take a jughandle from Route 35 to Route 36, which can cause significant traffic delays.

The project will also realign eastbound Route 36 to alleviate the lane drop in the left lane, and a ramp would also be constructed to connect northbound Route 35 with eastbound Route 36.

Plans include adding acceleration and deceleration lanes on both roads, additional overhead and road-level signage, additional lighting and shoulders, and upgraded traffic signals for vehicles entering and exiting Monmouth Mall.

Pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the area will also see upgrades with the addition of crosswalks and sidewalks in the area of the mall.

The proposed traffic-pattern changes are not expected to negatively impact any businesses in the area.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


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