The off-ramp at Exit 69B on I-295 has been closed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in conjunction with the installation of a noise barrier bordering the Long Acres neighborhood.
The ramp, which leads to Route 206 South near the Lawrence Township Municipal Building, was closed earlier this month. It will not be reopened to traffic until August, according to officials.
Contractor PKF-Mark III Inc. was awarded a contract for $11.5 million to build the noise barrier in September 2025. The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 30, 2026. It is being fully funded by the NJDOT.
The 2,780-foot-long concrete noise barrier is being built along the shoulder of I-295 South, starting near Rider University’s solar panel field. It will end on the east side of the I-295 overpass on Route 206.
The noise barrier, which has been years in the making, borders the rear yards of homes on West Church Road in the Long Acres neighborhood. The neighborhood is located behind the Lawrence Township Municipal Building. The affected homes back up to the highway.
The project will reduce noise levels in the Long Acres neighborhood. Peak traffic highway noise levels approach or exceed the recommended threshold for residential noise in the area, officials said.
Resident of the Long Acres neighborhood had been pushing for a noise barrier for more than 30 years, and the NJDOT had been promising to build it for almost as many years.
Since the residents began lobbying for a noise barrier in the early 1990’s, the NJDOT repaved a stretch of I-295 with a type of asphalt that reduced the sound of cars and trucks rushing by and that also reduced hydroplaning in wet weather.
However, the asphalt was removed and I-295 was repaved with conventional asphalt that increased road noise from the highway.
Most of the homes in the 1960’s and predate the construction of the interstate highway.
Residents claimed that noise from I-295, which was built in 1974, interfered with their enjoyment of their homes. The highway was built several feet above grade level – above their houses – and it contributes to the noise level, they said.
Former Gov. Jim Florio included money for construction of the noise barrier in the early 1990’s, but the plans were shelved after he lost his re-election bid.
The issue surfaced again in 1999, when the NJDOT agreed to build a noise barrier if Lawrence Township would contribute toward its cost. Subsequent changes in federal regulations banned towns from contributing money toward projects.
Then-NJDOT Commissioner Jack Lettiere agreed in 2005 to build a noise barrier. The 13-foot-tall wooden wall would have cost an estimated $2 million. The plan was put aside again in 2008 when the NJDOT’s priorities shifted to road and bridge projects.
Talks on the project were revived when State Senator Shirley K. Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon) arranged for a meeting between NJDOT officials and Lawrence Township officials in 2019 to discuss the noise barrier.
