Sea Bright, DOT differ over new Route 36 span

BY SUE MORGAN
Staff Writer

SEA BRIGHT - Eve Craig finds it scary to walk across two lanes of traffic to eat at Something Fishy and Gaiters, two neighboring Ocean Avenue restaurants.

Meanwhile, Frank Brooks, the owner of Something Fishy, would like to see that all those bicyclists who patronize his popular establishment can come and go safely from the premises.

Brooks says he is comfortable with the nearly 18-foot-high pedestrian overpass that would be accessible via a ramp to be located on the east side of Ocean Avenue across from both restaurants.

However, if the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) wants to ensure safe passage to pedestrians and bicyclists who would be using the overpass, one prominent feature shown on a renderings of the proposed replacement Highlands-Sea Bright Bridge, the state agency must figure out how to slow down vehicles traveling on Ocean Avenue, Brooks said at the May 2 Sea Bright Borough Council meeting.

The DOT came to Sea Bright to present plans for the estimated $90 million project, now in the final design stage, and to seek input on its scheme for the bridge, and the accompanying overpass and access ramps, to the council.

The project is being funded by the federal government, DOT says.

Action by the council on the DOT proposal will be taken at a future meeting, said borough Attorney Scott Arnette.

Speaking during the public portion of the hearing, Brooks said he would like DOT to install a signal or some other type of traffic-calming device at the end of a southbound exit ramp coming into Sea Bright from the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.

"It's very important to slow the traffic down. Hundreds of bicyclists coming from Sandy Hook eat at my restaurant," said Brooks, who also owns the Brooks Seafood Company located behind Something Fishy.

A stop sign now stands at the end of the exit ramp, but motorists often speed up once they pass through it, some council members and residents pointed out to the DOT representatives.

"Just crossing the street to Gaiters or Something Fishy is frightening," said Craig, the wife of Councilman Clark Craig.

A traffic light at the end of the exit ramp before Ocean Avenue might catch motorists off guard, leading to rear-end collisions, said Martine Culbertson, an engineering consultant to DOT.

Instead, Councilwoman Maria Fernandes suggested placing a flashing light that would grab motorists' attention more than the stop sign.

"A flashing light would slow traffic down," Fernandes said.

DOT Project Manager Panesh Patel was receptive to Fernandes' idea.

"We could look into that," he said.

Several council members also took issue with DOT renderings showing that the proposed pedestrian overpass, which crosses over both northbound and southbound lanes of the bridge access on the Sea Bright side, ends on the east side rather than the west side of Ocean Avenue, also known as State Highway 36.

The result, those council members said, will be an accident waiting to happen as pedestrians and bicyclists cross over two lanes of the busy highway to visit Something Fishy or Gaiters.

Despite posted speed limits, drivers coming onto Ocean Avenue from the bridge or from the ramp coming from Sandy Hook often travel at speeds of "45 to 50 mph," council President William "Jack" Keeler said.

To make crossing the Route 36 safer, Clark Craig recommended building a pedestrian-friendly underground tunnel under the highway, leading from the east side to the west side where the restaurants are situated.

Homeland security concerns and the possibility that the tunnel could flood during storms prevent the DOT from building underground, Culbertson said.

Also citing the overall problem with motorists exceeding posted speed limits on Ocean Avenue, Mayor Jo-Anne Kalaka-Adams asked if the speed limit on the planned 65-foot-high fixed span could be lowered from 45 miles per hour, as is the speed limit on the present day bridge, to 40 miles per hour.

"We have a problem with speeding when [motorists] come into Sea Bright," Kalaka-Adams told the DOT speakers.

Renderings shown by the DOT show that one pedestrian overpass coming off the bridge will lead into Sandy Hook and a second overhead walkway will lead into Sea Bright.

Aesthetically speaking, the lengthy overhead walkway might not give visitors the best first impression of the borough, Kalaka-Adams pointed out.

"This is going to be a very long, long structure, and it's going to be the first thing you see in Sea Bright," Kalaka-Adams said.

The appearance of the overpass, which DOT officials say would be 17 1/2 feet off the ground, could be disconcerting to residents in the borough's North Beach section, she continued.

"I don't think anyone really gets how high this [overpass] will be," Kalaka-Adams said.

Culbertson promised to try to minimize the impact of the walkway, which she noted would have silver or gray fences on either side so as not to be jarring.

"A real scale model" of the overpass might be created in time for submission of final plans this September, she added.

Building only one overpass to access both Sea Bright and Sandy Hook might be easier on the eyes, said Councilman Thomas E. Scriven.

While admitting that DOT designers had explored that option, Bob Supino, a consulting engineer, explained that a single overpass would have longer entrance and exit ramps, and be constructed higher and less compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

Both Supino and Al Algazi, another consultant, indicated that they had explored the notion of building one overpass, but could not come up with a design that meets ADA and environmental criteria.

"We tried 12 different locations. We got lots of comment from other people including some on this board," Algazi said.

Fernandes, one of the officials who has met previously with the DOT officials, shared what she learned - that a single overpass be constructed over the bridge itself.

"I was told you can't put a structure on a structure," Fernandes said.

Both pedestrian overpasses will be placed on the Sea Bright side on property owned by DOT, Algazi noted.

Both overpasses will lead to two, 8-foot-wide walkways on either side of the new bridge, the engineers noted.

The National Park Service (NPS), which manages the Sandy Hook portion of the Gateway Recreation Area, has agreed to the pedestrian walkway and will be responsible for its maintenance.

Sea Bright will also be responsible for routine maintenance including snow removal on the overpass and walkways on its side once the project is built, Culbertson said.

As shown in renderings, the proposed new bridge would be 30 feet higher than the existing movable span, which would ultimately be demolished once the project is complete.

Aside from the pedestrian walkways, two 12-feet-wide traffic lanes and one 8-foot-wide shoulder/bicycle lane would be outlined on the structure.

The new bridge would be just over 92 feet wide and provide space for a center median, DOT plans show.

The DOT plans to submit its final design to the state government in September and hopes to begin construction on the new bridge next spring.