Brick Life

Santander Bank to Replace Closed Mexican Restaurant in Brick Parkway Interchange Shuffle

by
Daniel Nee
October 1, 2014

The corner of Burrsville and Burnt Tavern roads in Brick, with a new Santander bank branch under construction. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The construction you see in the median of the jug handle at Burnt Tavern and Burrsville roads in the northern portion of Brick Township is an across-the-street move in progress for Santander (formerly Sovereign) Bank.

The bank property on the north side of Burnt Tavern will be demolished so a ramp to the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway can be constructed as part of the ongoing project to expand Parkway interchange 91 so vehicles can both exit and enter both directions of the highway.

The plan for Santander to replace what was the Mexico Lindo restaurant was approved by the township planning board in December 2013 and came back in front of the planning board last week. Santander was requesting the board grant permission for a “blade sign,” a sign that stands perpendicular to a building, to be constructed on the property even though it does not comply with the township’s sign ordinance. The board ultimate denied the sign variance, which would have been out of code due to the fact that the blade portion would be about four feet higher than the building’s roofline.

The remaining buildings in the median of the intersection, which includes a dentistry practice, will not be affected by the Parkway project, according to plans from the Ocean County Department of Engineering, which designed the new traffic pattern. Mexico Lindo closed in June when its lease was not renewed; the restaurant’s owner has not announced a new location.

Construction on the new entrances and exits to the highway is scheduled to begin this month and last about two years, Ocean County Engineer Frank Scarantino said. The photo below mapping out the changes will expand when clicked. The project will include:

– A new northbound entrance ramp from Burnt Tavern Road and Lanes Mill Road, with access to the park-and-ride lot on the east side of the Parkway.
– A second northbound entrance ramp for vehicles traveling eastbound on Burnt Tavern Road. This ramp will allow access from Burrsville Road. The single existing northbound ramp will be eliminated.
– New northbound exit and entrance ramps linking the Parkway and Burrsville Road.
– A new southbound entrance ramp for traffic heading west on Burnt Tavern Road.
– A second southbound entrance ramp linking Lanes Mill Road with the Parkway. Herborn Avenue will be extended south and east to Lanes Mill Road, where it will meet the new entrance ramp and a signaled intersection.