Route 37 Bridge Access Delayed For One Day After Gas Pressurization Snag

Leaks discovered in Seaside Heights, Pelican Island okay, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. says

The Thomas A. Mathis Bridge over Barnegat Bay will remain closed on Friday, since New Jersey Natural Gas has more remedial work to do on the barrier island, Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. "The township was informed that New Jersey Natural Gas has encountered more leaks on the barrier island that they expected in Seaside Heights," Amato said tonight. The news sets the company's timetable for pressurizing the gas lines back one day and prohibits access to the storm-ravaged towns on the peninsula via the Route 37 East bridge on Friday. "New Jersey Natural Gas has additional  work to do on the repressurization project...that will require access to homes to remain restricted on Friday," Amato said. "The bridge must remain …

• Photos (1)

Hurricane Sandy

Route 37 Eastbound On Mathis Bridge Closed

Closed until further notice

The Mathis Bridge, Route 37 eastbound from Toms River, has been closed to all traffic at 9 a.m. Monday Oct. 29, fire officials say. The closure will take place "till further notice at this time," fire officials said. The barrier island is under a mandatory evacuation order for Hurricane Sandy, expected to pelt the Toms River area with 85 mph winds and surging waters with heavy rain. Route 35 southbound of Seaside Heights is also closed, according to the state Department of Transportation. Since yesterday, Toms River Police have been patrolling the area at the base of the bridge near Fischer Boulevard. Today, Office of Emergency Management officials announced the Route 37 bridge eastbound would be closed to traffic.  Westbound lanes for …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Altercation Escalates to High-Speed Police Chase Down Route 37

Incident began at Pier One Motel, where officer jumps away from oncoming car

This article is an update of this story. A parking lot altercation escalated to police chase, with an officer diving out of the way of the suspect's oncoming vehicle Tuesday afternoon. Police are looking for Joseph Lynch, 55, of Levittown, Penn., a man police allege created a disturbance in a parking lot and turned it into a high-speed chase westbound on Route 37, resulting in multiple vehicles struck. The incident began at the Pier One Motel after multiple 911 phone calls came in around 4 p.m. reporting a disturbance, said Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy. "Police received numerous 911 calls that a suspect later identified as Joseph A. Lynch was involved in an altercation in the parking lot," Mastronardy said in an email. Sgt. …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

.

11:40 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Then you only have to worry about the local low lives and we have plenty of them!   more ›

Business Briefs

AAA Speeding Toward a Stop on Route 37 East

Auto club moving operations and will open repair shop at old Saturn dealership

The American Automobile Association is on the move — as usual. The motor club and travel agent giant will expand its Toms River operation with a grand opening scheduled for January 2012, according to a AAA spokesperson. AAA is moving operations from its present Route 37 West location to an 11,000-square-foot location at 1199 Route 37 East in what was the old Saturn auto dealership. The club has invested $1.5 million in the property, which will offer travel agency services, insurance and six-bay, seven-day-a-week auto repair shop. The repair shop will be the first of its kind in New Jersey with the well-respected AAA brand. “Over the last few years, the economy has had a tremendous impact on motorists, vehicle maintenance and the auto …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Route 37 Bridge Lane from Seaside Closed Six Months

Repainting project will shutter right westbound lane of J. Stanley Tunney Bridge through March 2012

The westbound side of the Route 37 J. Stanley Tunney Bridge, which connects Toms River to Seaside Heights over Barnegat Bay, will be reduced to two lanes from three for the next six months, the state Department of Transportation said in a release Tuesday. The closure of the right travel-lane began Monday and will last through the end of March 2012 while contractors paint the bridge, the DOT said. The DOT’s contractor, Jupiter Painting Contracting Co., is handling the $9 million project that also includes the repainting of the Route 37 eastbound Thomas A. Mathis lift bridge and the Pelican Island bridge at the eastern end of the causeway, the release said. The project is required to maintain the integrity of the bridges, the DOT said. “…

• Photos (1)