Brick Awarded $417K For Normandy Beach Road Elevation Project

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township has been awarded $417,028 in state grant funding to help pay for a joint project with Toms River to elevate streets in the Normandy Beach section to combat flooding.

The grant is part of $161.25 million in Municipal Aid grants announced statewide by Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday. The funding comes from the Transportation Trust Fund. There were awards to 543 cities and towns across New Jersey.

Under the Municipal Aid grant program, each county is given a share of the total funding based on population and the number of local centerline miles. Municipalities compete for portions of their county’s share. The state transportation department provides 75 percent of the grant amount when a town awards a contract and the remaining 25 percent upon completion of the project.

Brick and Toms River approved a shared services agreement in May for street elevation work to address persistent flooding of several streets in Normandy Beach, which spans the two towns.
The agreement includes seeking state funding to elevate Broad Street and 5th Avenue in Toms River, and Broad Street, 6th and 7th avenues in Brick.

Toms River received a corresponding grant of $323,600.

"It has gotten to the point that prolonged flooding occurs every month during the full moon and new moon and the residents are understandably upset," Brick Township Mayor John G. Ducey said. "Regardless of the factors causing this flooding, we have an obligation to do what we can to address and mitigate the problem and help protect the quality of life for our residents."

Brick also has been working to install valves at various street ends in its part of Normandy Beach where water has flooded over bulkheads.

The design of the road elevation project and the construction estimate will be prepared by one of Tom River's engineering pool firms. Brick will have final review of plans before they are finalized. The cost of these services will be distributed proportionately between the two municipalities according to the total disturbed area in each community.

Toms River will be responsible for seeking bids and awarding the contract for the project. The shared services agreement went into effect on June 1 and ends when the completed project receives final approval from the state.

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