N.J. To Shut Down Nearly 40 Road, Dredging Projects In Ocean County As Of Friday

When the New Jersey Senate refused to act on a proposed 23-cent gas tax increase to fuel the state's Transportation Trust Fund last week, Gov. Chris Christie pledged work on transportation projects would be halted.

The rubber meets the road Friday.

Christie's office has released a list of transportation projects that will shut down Friday due to a lack of funding following the governor's executive order. The temporary shutdown of $3.5 billion worth of projects — including nearly $51 million worth of work in Ocean County — will impact both Department of Transportation and NJ Transit initiatives. Work on projects funded by the TTF will stop by 11:59 p.m. on Friday for at least seven days, the governor's office said.

In Ocean County, there are four major road projects affected, as well as 33 local projects that are receiving some funding from the state that will be impacted.

And it's not just the road projects — the temporary shutdown also impacts mariners, as dredging projects in both Barnegat Inlet and Manasquan Inlet are on the list of projects that will be impacted.

The New Jersey Assembly passed a 23-cent gas tax hike that came with a 1-cent decrease in the sales tax, from 7 to 6 percent, phased in over a period of 18 months. That measure was supported by Christie, who pledged to sign it by Friday.

Senate lawmakers have said they prefer a proposal that would gradually phase out the state estate tax. That cut would cost about $120 million during the next fiscal year and $512 million by fiscal 2021, according to lawmakers.

“As Governor, I am entrusted with the responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State, as well as the responsibility to aid in the prevention of damage, loss, or destruction of property in the event of emergencies affecting the State. As this executive order states, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State, it is necessary that the remaining amounts held by the TTF not be spent on any transportation project that is not absolutely essential,” Christie said when signing the order on June 30.

The plan exempts projects deemed essential for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of all citizens and will not impact projects funded through federal sources.

Christie's order affects both Department of Transportation and NJ Transit projects, though there are no NJT projects specific to Ocean County towns on the list.

The Ocean County projects that will be impacted are as follows; the budgeted amount is in parentheses:

Construction projects

Route 166, Toms River ($11,793,879.34 for construction; $500,000 for engineering, plus $179,025 for inspections)

Route 35, Berkeley Township and Seaside Park, ends at Toms River Township Pump Station Landscape, ($1,338,000 plus $300,000 for engineering)

Route 35, Brick, Mantoloking and Bay Head, 24th Avenue to 6th Avenue and Curtis Point Road ($1,434,000 plus $300,000 for engineering)

Route 9/Garden State Parkway Ramp to Westecunk Creek in Bass River and Little Egg Harbor ($3,729,000)

Maritime projects/services

Dredging Barnegat Inlet Area Channels, Barnegat ($2,702,958)
Dredging Manasquan Inlet Phase I, Point Pleasant ($819,527)
Lavallette Beach Channel, Lavallette ($1,000,000)

Rail projects funded by NJDOT

Rehab of Three Timber Bridges on the Southern Secondary, Lakehurst ($675,000)

Aeronautics projects

New Connecting Taxiway RW 24 Threshold Relocation, Phase III, Lakewood ($30,237.59)
Construct Taxiway to Runway 24 End (design) Phase I, Lakewood ($3,882.94)
Rehabilitate Runway 6-24-Lighting (Design) Phase I, Toms River ($5,046.90)
Rehabilitate Runway 6-24-Pavement (Design) Phase I, Toms River ($23,599.60)
Helipad Lighting Ocean Toms River ($261,250)

Local projects receiving partial funding from the state

Garden State Parkway Interchange 91 Improvements and Burnt Tavern Road, Brick ($21,989,283)
West 11th Street, Barnegat Light ($190,000)
Engleside Avenue, Beach Haven ($150,000)
Larboard Street, Beachwood ($220,000)
Korman Road, Berkeley Township ($200,000)
Headley Avenue and First Avenue, Eagleswood Township ($165,000)
Jaynes Avenue, Island Heights ($125,000)
Jackson Mills Culvert, Jackson Township ($1,000,000)
Wright-DeBow Road, Jackson Township ($328,967)
Swathmore Avenue, Lakewood Township ($276,090)
Mears Avenue, Long Beach Township ($220,000)
Wilbur Avenue, Manchester Township ($250,000)
Monmouth Ave Phase 3, Ocean Gate ($135,000)
Pocohantas Avenue, Waretown ($190,000)
Radnor Avenue, Pine Beach ($120,000)
Homestead Avenue and Princeton Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach ($190,000)
Bay Avenue, Point Pleasant ($200,000)
Dupont Avenue, Seaside Heights ($160,000)
N Street Reconstruction, Seaside Park ($200,000)
Charles Drive and Deauville Avenue, South Toms River ($150,000)
Windlass Drive, Stafford Township ($190,000)
Cattus Island/Gloucester/Pioneer Drainage Improvements, Toms River ($250,000)
Parker Road, Tuckerton ($350,000)

Local projects from Fiscal Year 2015

West Lake Avenue, Bay Head ($274,500)
Replacement of Cooks Bridge, Jackson Township ($1,000,000)
Lake Street, Lakehurst ($169,000)
Guyer Avenue, Lavallette ($147,000)
Mark Drive, Long Beach Township ($183,000)
Broadway Boulevard, Manchester Township ($325,000)
Oregon Avenue, Waretown ($325,000)
West 14th Street, Ship Bottom ($186,500)
Adelphi Road, Albright Avenue, Fairway Drive, South Toms River ($197,500)
Elevation of Washington Avenue, Toms River ($325,000)

Projects receiving 2016 Fiscal Year grants

Dock Road-03900 Ocean Beach Haven Borough $275,000
2016 NJDOT Municipal Aid Road Progr-03901 Beachwood Borough $250,000
Lake Riviera Roadway Improvements --03902 Brick Township $311,418
Cedar Lane Stone Road-03903 Eagleswood Township $150,000
Maple Avenue Road Improvements-03904 Island Heights $150,000
East Lacey Road Roadway Improvement-03905 Lacey Township $213,967
Poplar Street Reconstruction-03906 Lakehurst $200,000
2016 Road Improvements Clifton Av-03907 Lakewood Township $351,726
Elizabeth Avenue Road Improvements-03908 Lavallette $150,000
2016 NJDOT Municipal Aid Road Pr-03909 Little Egg Harbor Township $325,000
Broadway Boulevard - Phase 2 Improv-03910 Manchester Township $325,000
Bay Avenue Flood Mitigation-03911 Mantoloking $200,000
Reconstruction of Asbury Avenue-03912 Ocean Gate $150,000
FY 2016 NJDOT Municipal Aid Road Pr-03913 Waretown $325,000
Brynmore Road Improvements-03914 Plumsted Township $275,000
Improvements to Point Pleasant Park-03915 Point Pleasant Beach $250,000
Webster Avenue Road Improvements-03916 Seaside Heights $150,000
Improvements to Mermaid Drive, Phas-03917 Stafford Township $325,000
Barnegat Avenue-03918 Surf City $325,000
Heron Road-03919 Tuckerton $325,000

Concept projects

Route 166, Bridges over Branch of Toms River, South Toms River and Toms River $375,843
Route 35, Osborne Ave to Manasquan River Point Pleasant $200,000
Route 37 east Thomas St to Fisher Blvd, Toms River/Island Hts $76,385

Route 9 Jones Rd to Longboat Ave, Lacey/Berkeley Twps, $70,433

Maintenance

Manahawkin – Garage Bay Heating Feasibility Study, Manahawkin $76,245
Manahawkin – Oil-Fired Furnace Replacement, Manahawkin $75,720
Toms River – Heating Upgrades to Maintenance Building, Toms River $79,992

The full list of NJDOT projects that will shut down can be found here.
The full list of NJ Transit projects that will shut down can be found here.