As work on the two-week Route 9 improvement project approaches the midway point, significant traffic pattern changes are now visible at the intersection of Madison Avenue near First Street.

The project appears to eliminate left turns from Madison Avenue onto First Street, as well as from First Street onto Madison Avenue. In their place, the southbound approach on Madison has been reconfigured to provide an extended dedicated left-turn lane onto Route 88, a change expected to ease one of Lakewood’s most significant traffic bottlenecks.

The redesigned intersection is part of the ongoing state project aimed at improving traffic flow and reducing delays along the Route 9 corridor. The work was intentionally scheduled during the summer months, when traffic volumes are significantly lighter, to help minimize disruptions, officials said.

Separately, a New Jersey Natural Gas contractor is expected to complete a one-week gas main replacement project on Cedarbridge Avenue between Hurley Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive. One lane of traffic in each direction will remain open throughout the construction.