Minimal impact on traffic expected during NJDOT's Route 38 improvements in Moorestown, Mount Laurel.

A New Jersey Department of Transportation project slated to start in mid-2026 along Route 38 between Nixon Drive and Interstate 295 in Moorestown and Mount Laurel will have a minimal impact on traffic, according to a briefing session held Tuesday at Moorestown Town Hall. 

Approximately 44,130 vehicles travel on this section of Route 38 daily, Elizabeth Galamba, a New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) spokesperson, told 70and73.com.

The stretch of Route 38 where the work will occur will never be completely closed during the approximately eight-month project, Arpita Upadhyay, NJDOT project manager, explained during the meeting. Instead, one lane may close at a time or there will be lane shifts, Upadhyay added.

The project calls for replacing and upgrading guide rails to current NJDOT standards, milling and repaving the road, replacing curbs and upgrading some of the intersections to be compliant with the meet Americans with Disabilities Act, said Kristin Swanton, an NJDOT environmental specialist.

To complete the project, NJDOT will take ownership of two parcels of land totaling about 288 square feet at Pleasant Valley Avenue in Moorestown and one parcel of land of about 352 square feet at Midlantic Drive in Mount Laurel, according to Swanton. Those parcels now are owned by the municipalities, Swanton said.

"This is considered a limited-scope project, meaning that the activities that are proposed for this project are relatively minor," Swanton said. "The (lane) striping…and traffic intersections are going to remain the same."

No trees will be cleared during the project, and homes along Nixon Drive opposite Moorestown Mall will not be affected, Swanton continued. The comments spurred sighs of relief from some of the approximately 30 people who attended the meeting.

However, to what appeared to be the disappointment of others at the meeting, a crosswalk will not be installed at the northern end of Pleasant Valley Avenue. NJDOT representatives said the width of an adjacent bridge makes it impossible to install one that meets their department's standards.

Galamba told 70and73.com on Friday that the project will cost between $5 million and $10 million to complete. Swanton said during Tuesday's meeting the federal government will cover the cost.

Upadhyay said in an interview that a similar project in the area occurred about seven years ago. Recently, the section of road "was identified by (NJDOT’s) Pavement Management Unit as in need of improvement."