Under construction for two years, the impacted section of Route 42 over the Blackwood Trail was repaved and restriped Thursday and Friday nights. Monday morning commuters will find smooth and straight roadway lanes, and the new longer auxiliary (acceleration/deceleration) exit lanes connecting to the Black Horse Pike are available.
This is the news that Route 42 commuters have been waiting for, after enduring many months of shifted lanes and less than perfect road conditions.

And an apology from me “The 42Freeway Guy” because on September 6th I wrote an article saying the core roadway construction was done… meaning the lanes were shifted back to “normal” after temporarily being shifted to the center median.
But I likely disappointed some people because at that time the project milestone did not include the repaving and restriping, which clearly are the most important aspect for commuters!

It appears some work still remains to be completed in the project particularly in landscaping and grading of the slopes for the raised roadway, as well as grass/landscaping for the new center median. (which makes me wonder if we may see some temporary lane impacts as that final median landscaping aspects are completed)
Also the new pedestrian tunnel that goes underneath the roadway appears accessible to the public, but it looks like it still needs some final finishing details to be completed.

But again, the important thing is that the more important roadway is nice and smooth in this section, with three straight lanes going in each direction and the extra 4th auxiliary lanes (to support the Black Horse Pike exit traffic).
Those much longer auxiliary lanes for traffic moving to/from the Black Horse Pike which passes underneath Route 42, should be a nice benefit to all commuters as previously they were just not long enough to properly adjust your speed.

Cars traveling on Route 42 South and exiting to the Black Horse Pike had to slow down very quickly ahead of the exit… and similarly, when you were leaving the Black Horse Pike to go up onto 42 North, the previously allocated space was just too short to really get fully accelerated up to the highway speeds of Route 42 North!
Hopefully those longer auxiliary lanes make for safer travels for everyone!
Route 42 Bridges Over Blackwood Trail
I’ve covered this project multiple times over the last two years and share links to all of my prior coverage.
But to summarize the project’s purpose. Years ago underneath this section of Route 42 was a train line which when Route 42 was constructed 70 years ago, required the roadway to be raised much higher than the surrounding land. As Route 42 had to move over top of those train tracks, tall steel bridge structures were developed (two total; one for each roadway direction).

With the railroad tracks no longer utilized by trains and the steel bridge structure becoming very old… it was decided to rebuild this section of the Route 42 roadway, completely removing any of the steel bridge structure effectively… turning it into an earthen raised roadway.
Lastly, to support the continued use of the popular pedestrian trail that replaced the train tracks, a large pedestrian tunnel was created under Route 42.
Links
- September 6, 2022 : Route 42 Bridges Over Blackwood Railroad Trail Being Removed. Large Pedestrian Tunnel Under Construction
- November 10, 2022 : Rt 42 Over Blackwood Railroad Trail Arched Tunnel Install
- October 13, 2023 : Route 42 North at Blackwood Trail Project To Shift Traffic Onto Median Roadway Overnight.
- November 7, 2023 : November Roads: Missing Moves Opening? The Wall and Rt 42 Blackwood
- Sept 4, 2024 : Route 42 Over Blackwood Trail Core Aspects Complete