For Immediate Release:
June 3, 2025

County Commissioners and Middletown officials
break ground on road improvement project

MIDDLETOWN, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners and Middletown officials hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on a road improvement project in the Lincroft Plaza which will include upgrades to County Route 520 and County Route 50.

“Safety is the highest priority and we are undertaking this project to make sure County roadways are as safe as they can be,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the Department of Public Works and Engineering. “Monmouth County is committed to maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure to ensure the safety of our drivers and pedestrians.”

The existing ACME Market service road only supports one-way traffic flow for vehicles exiting the Acme shopping center onto Middletown-Lincroft Road. The project will widen the existing one-way exit road from the shopping center to Middletown-Lincroft Road to provide for two-way traffic flow.

By providing two-way traffic flow and adding a sidewalk, vehicles and pedestrians on Middletown-Lincroft Road will have direct access to the shopping center which will reduce the volume of traffic and improve traffic safety on Newman Springs Road. The new road will be under the maintenance and jurisdiction of Middletown Township.

This project will also include a new two-way vehicular driveway connecting the Lincroft Grove to Acme Road. The existing 18-foot-wide pavement width is proposed to be expanded to 28 feet, to provide two 14-foot-wide travel lanes.

At the intersection of the service road and Middletown-Lincroft Road, a stop control will be placed on the service road, with a two-way center turn lane on Middletown-Lincroft Road. In addition, ramps at Middletown-Lincroft Road will be upgraded to meet current ADA compliance. There will also be a proposed speed limit change between Hurleys Lane and Woodland Drive.

“Based on the findings of a recent traffic engineering study, the County is also recommending lowering the speed limit between Hurleys Lane and Woodland Drive from 40 mph to 35 mph in order to make the speed limit consistent with the Lincroft Village section of the corridor,” said Commissioner Director Arnone. “This speed limit reduction will be reviewed and voted upon by the entire Board of County Commissioners on June 12.”

“The collaborative efforts of the Middletown Township Committee and Monmouth County Commissioners to improve pedestrian safety, traffic flow, and the overall betterment of the downtown Lincroft area have been a driving force behind acquiring the roadway behind the Acme shopping plaza,” said Middletown Mayor Tony Perry. “After years of negotiations by the Township Committee to acquire the property, along with the Commissioners’ commitment to make this a new two-way street, this project will benefit both our residents and local businesses – significantly reducing the number of crashes that could occur on Newman Springs Road. On behalf of the Township Committee, I want to thank Commissioner Director Tom Arnone and his fellow Commissioners for this shared partnership and investment that will positively impact Middletown and the greater Lincroft area.”

For news and alerts from Monmouth County, visit www.visitmonmouth.com or follow @MonmouthGovNJ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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