Sovereign Bank to be Demolished in Brick Parkway Project
Federal government will fund $3.9 million in land purchases
Ocean County is getting $3.9 million in federal aid to buy rights of way for work on county roads that will be part of the construction of the full interchange 91 of Garden State Parkway in Brick Township.
County Engineer Frank Scarantino said reconfiguring ramps and roads around the interchange is the county’s part of the three phase project that also includes the New Jersey Turnpike Authority widening the Parkway shoulders and replacing and raising the bridge carrying Burnt Tavern Road over the toll road.
The existing timetable calls for the Turnpike to begin the bridge work in the second half of next year, followed by the shoulder widening later in the year, and the county work to begin in 2013.
“All those contracts have to be coordinated,’’ Scarantino explained.
When the work is done a full interchange and improved access to the park and ride facilities will be the result. Currently, motorists on Burnt Tavern Road can only access the northbound Garden State Parkway. The southbound lanes must be accessed from Chambers Bridge Road.
One sticking point has been the relocation of the northbound entrance road to the Parkway from Burnt Tavern Road. One alignment put the ramp close to “seven or eight homes’’ and ran through the Wedgewood Place Homeowners Association drainage basin, he said.
Homeowners balked at that idea, and working with Assemblyman David Wolfe and Brick Mayor Stephen Acropolis, Scarantino said another alignment, one eliminating a Sovereign bank branch, was agreed upon.
“We’re meeting with the bank next week. They’re not too happy. It’s the lesser of two evils,’’ the engineer said of the current ramp alignment.
The latest design for the interchange is on the Engineering Department website at www.co.ocean.nj.us.
KMC
7:00 am on Thursday, September 22, 2011
This is terrible news. Where are they going to relocate the bank?
Joseph Woolston Brick
8:26 am on Thursday, September 22, 2011
One of my friends works at that bank and has for years, with a little luck it will be located closer to me and make my trips to it a little shorter. Knowing my luck it will be relocated in Howell or something.
Andy Barcellona
8:47 am on Thursday, September 22, 2011
Well I guess sacrificing one bank is better then 8 homes. Besides with all the banks that are closing maybe Sovereign can move into one without having to rebuild.
Mark Story Jenks
9:20 am on Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wedgewood Place used to be the Winchester Farm. While Wedgewood was in the early stage of development, I worked there installing water and sewer lines. One hot day, while the crew and I were sitting under the shade of the last remaining tree eating lunch, the bank got robbed. We didn't know it at first. All of a sudden a Brick patrol car came flyin' up the dirt road and stopped to ask us if we saw any unusual charecters. We all pointed at each other and laughed.
Concerned Brick Citizen
4:16 pm on Thursday, September 22, 2011
3.9 mil for a property purchase ain't bad in this economy.
Dan Toth
5:58 am on Friday, September 23, 2011
I remember seeing the original plan from the Turnpike Authority several years ago which called for the utilization of the Santander/Sovereign property. I guess there were changes since then to try and redesign it, but it ended up back where they originally had it.
BW
11:48 pm on Friday, September 23, 2011
I think I am confused. The bank is on Burnt Tavern road. Between the bank and the parkway you have the firehouse,the Gulf station the Dav building and the ems building. So why does the bank need to be torn down and not the others between it and the parkway.
Michele
10:35 pm on Saturday, September 24, 2011
From what I understand it will go behind the other buildings, I don't see what is wrong with it the way it is this just now means you will have to cross two lanes of traffic to get to the SJPW and when it is early in the morning or when schools are letting out it will be a night mare with back ups on both roads.