Monday, April 22, 2013
Traffic lights no longer blinking on bulk of barrier island
It's one of those unique "Shore local" problems: when the traffic lights stop blinking each spring, one has to remember to come to a full and complete stop - and most importantly, wait for the light to turn green again. In a small sign of normalcy following Route 35's reopening after surrounding neighborhoods were hard hit by Superstorm Sandy at the end of October, traffic signals are no longer blinking amber and red. Last week, the lights in Brick, Toms River and Lavallette were all changed back over to their solid red-or-green modes. Since then, speed limits have risen in each of those towns from 25 m.p.h. – a limit imposed following Sandy – back to 45 m.p.h. in the southbound lanes and a mix of speeds between 30 and 45 m.p.h. in the …
Monday, March 25, 2013
Homeowners concerned with easement language, lack of established dune line
Though Brick officials have pledged the status quo will remain along the township's oceanfront, homeowners at a meeting Saturday said they have concerns over preserving private beach access as well as the lack of an established dune line in a proposed beach replenishment plan. In order for the project – which is primarily funded by the federal government – to move forward, oceanfront residents and beach associations would have to sign easements to allow the dunes to be built and maintained partially on private property. The state has set an April 1 deadline for easements to be signed, while Rep. Jon Runyan's office has set a federal deadline of May 1. "I do not want to put Ferris wheels or boardwalks behind anyone's house," Mayor Stephen C…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Officials hoping project will begin this summer from Manasquan to Barnegat inlets
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Daniel Nee
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Thursday, March 14
Oceanfront homeowners between Manasquan and Barnegat inlets are being urged to sign easements necessary for a beach renourishment project to get off the ground by May 1, officials said Thursday. U.S. Rep Jon Runyan (R-3) wrote to the mayors of a number of northern Ocean County municipalities this week urging them to secure all necessary easements for the massive dune and beach project by May 1, the date the Army Corps of Engineers must submit a work plan to Congress. The project's design – which would include the construction of approximately 25-foot high dunes, 75 foot wide berms and 175 acres of dune grass in the project area – was completed in 2007, but has languished after some oceanfront homeowners refused to sign easements that would…
Friday, March 8, 2013
No overwash, no breach, but close call at last high tide
Emergency dune repairs were being made in the area of 8th Avenue in the township's Normandy Beach section Friday afternoon. Several bulldozers and an excavator were working to shore up the dunes near that street and several surrounding streets, as the most recent high tide on the oceanfront whittled away at a berm the township had built up there. "We're doing our very best to stop that water from coming back," said Brick Township Council President Bob Moore. "We jumped on it very quickly." Moore said an overnight high tide began to wash away the dune, but crews responded quickly and were able to prevent an overwash, while also saving a nearby home that is under reconstruction following Superstorm Sandy. In all, between eight and 10 truck …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Full time residents say traffic, destroyed homes could pose a problem as spring approaches
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Daniel Nee
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Monday, February 25
If not for the 45 degree temperature, it may as well have been a summer day on Route 35 in Brick. A constant stream of traffic clogged the state highway, and a miles-long line of cars backed up from the Mantoloking Bridge up and down the barrier island. Even on weekdays, residents say, the traffic is nonstop. But while Shore locals have tolerated the annual summer influx of traffic for as long as out-of-towners have flocked to the water, the lingering idea of "disaster tourism" in the wake of Superstorm Sandy has some residents concerned, especially as warmer weather approaches. There are concerns of looting or break-ins, residents say, but there is also an uneasiness about people stopping their cars and going on private property to take …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The $215 million project, which will include installing a new and improved drainage system, is expected to be completed by the summer of 2015
Governor Christie announced Tuesday that Route 35, from Point Pleasant Beach to South Seaside Park in Berkeley, will be completely rebuilt. The $215 million project, which will include installing a new and improved drainage system, is expected to be completed by the summer of 2015. Funding will come from federal sources, Christie said. The governor announced the project at a press conference held with Ocean County officials at the Lavallette Fire Company building, a block away from the state highway that is the focus of the reconstruction project. The new highway will be 24 inches thick, including asphalt pavement and the stabilizing sub-base materials. The Christie administration said it will do its best to minimize summer disruptions, …
Friday, January 25, 2013
Recovery and repair underway
Those who do not live near the Jersey Shore may have their lives back to normal nearly three months after Superstorm Sandy struck. But for locals, a simple ride along Route 35 northbound from Normandy Beach into Mantoloking is a reminder of the devastation that still exists for many year-round and part-time residents.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Brick Food Relief group leads inauguration day service activity to relieve Sandy victims
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
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Tuesday, January 22
Volunteers from Operation Brick Food Relief, a non-profit corporation, canvassed the hardest hit Brick neighborhoods over the weekend to seek out those who still needed help clearing out interior and exterior items damaged by Superstorm Sandy. OBFR had partnered with Hope Worldwide’s Central Jersey Chapter, a non-profit corporation that is made up of all volunteers dedicated to helping local communities. The overall event was part of the National Day of Service which coincides with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, as well as the presidential inauguration. Over 300 volunteers from Hope Worldwide, OBFR, Jackson Memorial High School, Lakewood High School, Allstate, Hope & Healing, Central Jersey Church of Christ and Shore Points Christian Church…
Friday, December 21, 2012
Ortley Beach the only neighborhood which will not be open
Unfettered access to barrier island neighborhoods of Brick and Toms River, as well as Seaside Heights, will resume Jan. 7, officials announced Friday. Brick Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis and Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher both signed a formal request to Gov. Chris Christie's office certifying that public utilities and roadways would be restored by that date. The request was also signed by Seaside Heights mayor William Akers, who did not attend the ceremony because he was attending the funeral of long-time Ocean County Sheriff William Polhemus. The access plan, if approved by Christie, will allow full public access to all of the barrier island neighborhoods in Brick and Toms River, as well as Seaside Heights, with the exception or Ortley …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Brick Township, Toms River, and Seaside Heights will announce repopulation plans
The mayors of Brick Township, Toms River and Seaside Heights will jointly announce plans to permanently repopulate their barrier island communities Friday. The North Beach area of Toms River, all of Brick Township and single-family homes in Seaside Heights will be included in the formal joint request to repopulate their towns on the same day. The request will be submitted to Gov. Chris Christie for approval. Seaside Heights Mayor William Akers said Wednesday the repopulation date will be Jan. 7. The hard-hit neighborhood of Ortley Beach will not be included in the plan, officials said, however a statement will be made Friday regarding its eventual repopulation. "Based on what we're seeing from the utility companies, we expect [Gov. …
TRman
12:45 pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Seaside Park is pulling over just about everyone for everything right now... proceed with caution more ›