Road Project To Fight Flooding

BRICK – Residents of Normandy Beach on the barrier island should get some relief from nuisance road flooding since the governing body has authorized the receipt of bids for the continuation of a roadway elevation project.

This will be phase II of the elevation project, said Council President Vince Minichino, and the streets included are Normandy Beach Drive, Arrow Court and Broad Avenue.

The project is for roadway elevation, including but not limited to, fill importation, drainage reconstruction, concrete work, roadway reconstruction, resurfacing and the site restoration, he said.

“Phase I of this was completed in recent years in a shared service with Toms River,” Minischino said. “This phase extends the scope.”

Brick and Toms River have joined forces to elevate the roads in Normandy Beach since the neighborhood is split between the two townships. Both towns have applied for and have received funding, with Brick accepting a $401,859 grant from the State Department of Transportation for the elevation project.

Barrier island residents have attended council meetings to ask for help because flooding has become so bad that school buses and delivery trucks are unable to drive through the main access road. They say the roads flood 20 to 30 times a year.

Also, the governing body approved additional roadway work with the award of contract for $446,900 for improvements to streets for the Cherry Quay Phase II project.

Earle Asphalt Company of Farmingdale will resurface Tiller Lane and Royal Drive, as well as concrete and drainage improvements as deemed necessary, said Council President Minichino.

“Bid notices were provided to 78 prospective bidders from our bidders list, and five bids were received, with Earle being the lowest responsive responsible bidder,” he said.

In other news, the township will sell solar renewable energy credits and class one renewable energy certificates through a public auction, said councilman Perry Albanese.

The Township of Brick intends to utilize the online auction services of Flett Exchange LLC, he said. At this time there are solar renewable energy certificates from the township rooftop and parking lot solar panels to auction.

In addition, there will be renewable energy certificates from the wind turbine located at Drum Point Sports Complex, Albanese said.

“The township previously utilized Flett Exchange LLC for the sale of solar renewable energy certificates through public auction and received $35,872.50,” said the councilman.

And finally, the council authorized a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the Salt Marsh Enhancement and Restoration Project.

The Township received a $4.997 million grant for a Living Shoreline Tidal Salt Marsh Vegetation Restoration Project in the Forsythe Refuge. The township has a 5.62 percent match for this grant, “which can be 100 percent in-kind service by the township engineers, township planner and other township staff,” said Council President Minischino.

The grant money would be used for marsh restoration in the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, much of which spans the township’s marshland, sedge islands and other areas of Barnegat Bay.