Work on hazardous intersection under way BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer BRICK TOWNSHIP - The angular and dangerous intersection at Sally Ike Road and LanesMill Road will be a thing of the past in the next few months. Workers have already begun relocating utility poles in preparation for the $438,000 construction project, which is expected to last between 10 to 12 weeks, said Ocean County Engineer Frank Scarantino. "Right now, Sally Ike Road comes into LanesMill at an acute angle," he said. "It makes the left turn onto LanesMill Road impossible and the right turn difficult. You have to look over your left shoulder to move into traffic." The entire intersection will be realigned to a perpendicular intersection. Plans call for the approach to Sally Ike Road be widened to three lanes, Scarantino said. The shoulders on LanesMill Road will also be widened and some sidewalks will be added to improve safety conditions on the roadway. "Previously, we have had very minimal shoulders," he said. "There's a school nearby, there's lots of pedestrian activity." Anew pedestrian-activated signal button will also be installed, so people can change the light to cross the street, Scarantino said. "The equipment out there is between 15 to 20 years old," he said. "We will be saving a lot of it for reuse." Most of the new intersection can be built while both roadways are still in use, Scarantino said. "Near the last minute, there will be a brief detour for Sally Ike Road for a few days, while we transition the old road into the new road," he said. Asection of old pavement on Sally Ike Road will have to be ripped out to make roomfor the new intersection, Scarantino said. The Board of Freeholders recently awarded a contract for the work to P&A Construction, Colonia. "It's probably about 10 to 12 weeks of construction time," he said. "It's not bad. The only exception would be if the utilities get delayed. That would lengthen the construction time."