Vehicles jockey for position making turns into and out of the Wawa on Route 88 in Brick, Nov. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Brick officials say they may take action themselves if neither the state nor the owner of the Wawa property at Route 88 and Jack Martin Boulevard places ‘no left turn’ signs into and out of the already-busy parking lot, which has led to an increase in vehicle accidents.
The township’s planning board approved the Wawa in 2018 and it opened to customers in November 2021. Though residents and board members both brought up the potential for dangerous traffic conditions to be generated by allowing left turns from into and out of the Wawa from the busy state highway, the state Department of Transportation approved the proposal, leaving the board with no power to compel signage or a new highway rule. Township officials, however, almost immediately sought a “no left turn” rule to be established by the state, and at the NJDOT’s request, submitted a formal letter of support for the ban.
Despite the rapid action on the part of Brick officials, and apparent support from the DOT, the signage was never installed, and accidents continued to occur. The situation became so serious that a Popeyes fast food restaurant was approved in 2022 with the caveat that the left turn ban had to be implemented first. The ban has not been implemented, and work on the Popeyes restaurant has not begun.
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But why?
“The NJDOT has indicated that they feel that the ‘no left turn’ signs are covered by the board’s decision to allow them to install them at the time the Popeyes is built,” said Joanne Bergin, the township’s business administrator.
Essentially, this means that the state has indicated it is willing to allow the owner of the Wawa-Popeyes property, JSM at Martin Boulevard, a shell company owned by developer Jack Morris, to determine when the place the signs.
An NJDOT spokesman explained the scenario from the agency’s point of view after being contacted by Shorebeat.
“The developer of the Wawa is developing the adjacent property,” said Steve Schapiro, press manager for the DOT. “NJDOT is actively reviewing an application for that property that includes eliminating the left turn movements at the Wawa driveway. The Department is working with the developer to come up with an acceptable design that will improve safety and maintain a level of access to the properties.”
Jack Martin Boulevard, Brick, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Vehicles jockey for position making turns into and out of the Wawa on Route 88 in Brick, Nov. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
“The discussions are on the way, and they’ve been helpful,” said Bergin. “But we told them we’re just going to go out and install them if they don’t do it. We looped in the developer and our attorney. The developer has to agree that he’s going to do it.”
One potential hold-up, brought to the floor by resident Charlie Bacon, who originally asked for an update on the issue, is that the driveways into the nascent shopping center must be physically altered to align with the signage in order to truly prevent drivers from making the dangerous left turn in and out.
“The developer will have to make some changes,” said Bacon.
“That’s the challenge,” agreed Bergin. “It’s not as simple as the signs.”
The proposed location of a Popeyes restaurant in Brick Township, N.J., Oct. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Still, she said, the township is planning to act on its own to enforce a policy that, apparently, had been deemed sufficient for the installation of signage at a minimum.
Meanwhile, the DOT official said the state agency has been monitoring – and mediating – the matter.
“NJDOT has been in communication with the Brick Police Department, providing updates throughout 2022 and 2023 on the discussions between NJDOT and the developer,” said Schapiro. “The municipality was made aware the department’s efforts.”
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