Cherry Hill's new mayor, residents and small business owners criticize NJDOT's Route 70 construction project

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- Cherry Hill's new mayor is criticizing the New Jersey Department of Transportation claiming the agency is not communicating lane shifts and closures during the Route 70 construction project.

The nearly nine-mile $153 million rebuild is supposed to make Route 70 smoother and safer from Pennsauken through Evesham.

But Mayor Dave Fleisher said construction has not been smooth, saying New Jersey DOT is not notifying small businesses and surrounding communities about construction changes resulting from the project.

Lynch-Wood Opticians' Paul DiGiovanni said his older patients are afraid to come to his office because of the construction, which, he claimed, has led to a 20-25% reduction in business.

"We do get calls from patients that'll say, 'How's the construction today?'" DiGiovanni said. "We'll tell them what it is. They may choose to come in that day or wait another day."

New Jersey DOT said construction won't be completed until 2027.

"That's just mind-boggling to me," DiGiovanni said. "We don't really get a lot of updates. We have gotten some, but it's very vague."

Rhetha Owens works out every day at the gym next door to Lynch-Wood Opticians, and she said she has to exercise her mind every time she gets on Route 70.

"I mean, it's kind of like a puzzle," Owens said. "Where you're going to be going, how you're going to get here."

Mayor Fleisher said he's planning to meet with DOT in the coming days to discuss ways to improve communication with the town and businesses.

New Jersey DOT released the following statement to CBS Philadelphia: "The Route 70 project is a priority for the Department. We have been responsive on any issues brought to our attention and will continue to do so. We have had meetings with town officials and residents when they requested them, and we are committed to continued communication with Mayor-elect Fleisher. These meetings are in addition to the Public Information Center held before the project began, numerous local official briefings, and a press conference we held in October 2022 with the local officials."

As part of any NJDOT project, including the Route 70 Corridor project, local officials are sent notices of upcoming lane closures or traffic shifts.

In addition, NJDOT issues traffic advisories related to any lane closures or changes in traffic configurations. These advisories are posted on the NJDOT website, on X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.

In:
• New Jersey
• Cherry Hill
• Route 70