Toms River to Study Flooding and Traffic Issues

Three separate studies are expected to kick off this month in Toms River aimed at improving flooding and traffic issues on the Barrier Island and Downtown, according to officials with the Township Planning Department.

The three studies will cost roughly $170,000 and will be paid for through state grants.

Neighborhood Circulation Plans for the Township's Ortley Beach section and the Route 35 corridor, and for Downtown Toms River will cost about $50,000 each, according to Erika Stahl, Assistant Toms River Township Planner. A study related to the Township's Master Plan will cost just under $70,000 she said.

"This funding is coming from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). This is actually Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funding provided to the state. Some of it they put aside for planning efforts and the areas that were mostly affected by Sandy," Stahl said.

The Township applied for a Strategic Recovery Planning Grant, which was an initial, mandatory study. The three new studies will be based on findings from that study on what the Township should pursue.

"The Township get fully reimbursed for all of these studies through DCA," said Stahl.

The Ortley Beach study will look out how to best develop the community for the future to make sure it is better than it was before. A top concern is that Ortley doesn't have a tie between its beach area and bay side, according to Stahl. The study will help produce a cohesive, comprehensive, plan that will look at how all of Ortley can develop as one unit.

"So if somebody lives on the bay side they can get to the beach and the boardwalk, or if somebody lives on the ocean side they can easily get to the bay side and also be able to utilize their existing downtown corridor on Route 35," Stahl said.

A second study related to the Master Plan Re-examination Report and Zoning Ordinances  will look at all of the north beach section of the barrier island, including Ortley Beach, Pelican Island, and areas on the bay and river sides affected by Sandy.  Existing zoning will be examined to determine whether some of it can be modified to reflect issues that came about from Sandy, taking existing patterns into account.

Stahl said the study for Downtown Toms River will look at the best way to redevelop the Redevelopment Area and examine circulation issues. The Redevelopment Area is located by the riverside, from Main Street west and east of the Garden State Parkway.

"The Toms River Business Improvement District (BID)  paid for a Redevelopment Plan study. So the study will look at what the BID is proposing and how what kinds of transportation impacts that will have to that section of town, including Iron Street, Main Street, and Water Street which goes to the parkway.

“So this plan will look at what implications there are to transportation and what can be done to potentially resolve those issues so that redevelopment can proceed forward, or in some cases the redevelopment may have to be modified to accommodate whatever transportation needs are existing and potentially be needed in the future,” Stahl said.

The studies will take six-months to complete.

Stahl added the findings will determine what actual recommendations are being pursued by consultants to make sure the suggestions are reasonable and can be implemented.