A major $509 million reconstruction project is set to reshape a busy stretch of the Garden State Parkway in Ocean County, with plans calling for new ramps, redesigned interchanges, bridge work and the elimination of Exit 81.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is completing final designs for the project, which will cover the Parkway between mileposts 80 and 83 through Beachwood, South Toms River, Berkeley and Toms River. Construction is currently expected to begin in spring 2027, following a public hearing that is expected to be scheduled in the coming months.

Officials say the project is intended to address longstanding safety and traffic concerns along the corridor, where closely spaced interchanges, narrow shoulders, sharp curves and heavy merging traffic have contributed to crash rates above the statewide average.

Among the biggest changes will be the construction of separate collector-distributor lanes in both directions between Interchanges 81 and 82. The lanes will allow vehicles entering and exiting the Parkway to merge and change lanes away from the main high-speed traffic lanes.

As part of the redesign, the current Exit 81 designation will disappear. Exits 81, 82 and 82A will instead be renamed 82A, 82B and 82C.

Exit 80 will also undergo major changes, including two new ramps that will provide additional access between the Parkway and Route 9, Dover Road and Double Trouble Road. Improvements are also planned to reduce backups that currently extend from the Exit 80 ramp onto the Parkway during evening rush hour.

The project will require work on 11 bridges, including rehabilitation or full replacement. A new Lakehurst Road bridge will be built alongside the existing structure so traffic can continue moving while construction is underway.

Plans also include a new roundabout at Lakehurst Road, Highland Parkway and Water Street near the Toms River bus terminal. Approximately 15 acres of property will be needed for redesigned ramps and related construction, with officials saying most of that land is already publicly owned.

The overhaul is designed to modernize a section of the Parkway that largely dates back to the highway’s original construction in the 1950s while improving traffic flow and safety for the growing number of motorists traveling through central Ocean County.