Headline: Massive highway reconstruction reshapes travel patterns, fuels detours, and signals a new era for regional infrastructure**
A sweeping reconstruction project along Route 70 is redefining daily travel across Cherry Hill and Pennsauken, marking one of South Jersey’s most ambitious transportation overhauls in decades. What began as routine roadway improvement has expanded into a full-scale modernization effort, complete with bridge replacements, drainage upgrades, resurfaced corridors, and the critical rebuilding of the Cropwell Brook box culvert. The result is a highway corridor being rebuilt from the ground up — and a commuting public learning new rhythms to keep traffic moving.
Construction crews are currently deep into structural replacement work at Cropwell Brook, a vital waterway crossing that required removing aging concrete infrastructure and installing a modernized culvert system designed to improve flood resilience and long-term roadway stability. At the same time, general reconstruction stretches through multiple segments of Route 70, producing frequent lane shifts, overnight closures, temporary side-street shutdowns, and reconfigured intersections. These changes are deliberate, phased, and part of a broader strategy to deliver a safer, smoother, higher-capacity corridor once work is complete.
For drivers, the immediate impact is daily congestion through active work zones, particularly during peak travel hours. Cherry Hill’s commercial core, the Pennsauken approach, and the Springdale-to-Route-73 stretch have all become pressure points where careful planning saves time and frustration. Local officials continue to coordinate traffic control measures, police presence at key intersections, and adaptive signal timing to keep bottlenecks from spilling into surrounding neighborhoods.
Regular commuters have quickly turned to proven alternate arteries to stay ahead of backups. Route 38 has emerged as the most dependable east-west bypass north of Route 70, offering a stable parallel path between Pennsauken and the Moorestown–Mount Laurel corridor. For drivers moving between Cherry Hill and Voorhees or Gibbsboro, Route 561 — also known as Haddonfield-Berlin Road — has become the preferred escape route from congestion near the I-295 interchange. Greentree Road and Evesham Road provide effective local relief between Springdale Road and the Evesham border, while Church Road now plays a vital supporting role for travelers reaching the Moorestown Mall area without entering the Pennsauken construction zone.
Closer to the Cropwell Brook worksite, precision detours keep access open to nearby homes and businesses. Eastbound travelers are being guided to cross Route 70 at Conestoga Drive before reconnecting through North Cropwell Road and Old Marlton Pike. Westbound traffic follows a complementary pattern, using North Cropwell Road and the Conestoga jughandle system to maintain circulation through the reconstruction area. These localized detours may feel complex at first, but they are engineered to preserve neighborhood access while keeping heavy through-traffic out of tight residential streets.
Real-time travel planning has become an essential tool for navigating the evolving work zone. State traffic monitoring systems provide live speed data and lane-closure alerts, while weekly construction schedules outline upcoming overnight restrictions. Motorists checking conditions before departure are consistently seeing faster trip times than those arriving unprepared.
Beyond the daily inconvenience, transportation planners stress that the long-term payoff will be substantial. Once complete, the rebuilt Route 70 corridor will feature improved stormwater management, safer turning lanes, upgraded intersections, smoother pavement, and stronger substructures capable of supporting decades of heavy traffic. The Cropwell Brook culvert replacement alone significantly reduces flood risk during major storms — a key resilience improvement for a region that has seen increased extreme weather events.
Economic benefits are also expected to follow. Route 70 serves as a commercial backbone for Cherry Hill and Pennsauken, feeding retail centers, medical facilities, office parks, and residential developments. A modernized corridor enhances accessibility, increases safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and supports continued business investment throughout the township.
Officials emphasize that patience now will yield long-term gains in safety, efficiency, and quality of life. The transformation underway is not merely repaving a highway — it is reshaping a vital regional artery to meet modern transportation demands.
For ongoing project coverage, planning insight, and infrastructure reporting across the region, readers can follow Sunset Daily News’ dedicated construction reporting hub, where South Jersey’s largest development and roadway projects are tracked in depth.
As crews push forward through each construction phase, one thing is certain: Route 70 is being rebuilt not just for today’s drivers, but for the next generation of South Jersey travelers who will benefit from a safer, stronger, and more connected corridor.
