Flooding in the Normandy Beach neighborhood, Jan. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
A project to raise roadways in the Normandy Beach section of Brick Township is ready to be put out to bid now that work on the Toms River portion of the project has been completed.
Normandy Beach, long prone to flooding and the subject of frequent lobbying by residents for improvements to roadways and drainage, is a neighborhood split between the two towns. Both towns jointly applied for grant funding from the state that would raise numerous roadways, with Toms River’s portion being completed first as crews work south-to-north. Now, the Brick Township portion is ready for work.
The Brick Township council unanimously voted to solicit bids for the project, which will raise Normandy Drive, Arrow Court, Broad Avenue, according to Council President Vincent Minichino. The project will also include fill importation, drainage reconstruction, concrete work, roadway reconstruction, resurfacing and site restoration.
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Last fall, the council last week accepted $401,859 from the state Department of Transportation toward the elevation project, which will include raising the height of the street to engineers’ specifications.
Normandy Beach, located in the barrier island portion of the township, is split between Toms River and Brick. After lobbying from residents who raised concerns of flooding that had begun to become dangerous, the two towns secured joint funding to elevate the most-affected roadways. The contracts for the project have been awarded in a south-to-north configuration, meaning Toms River’s portions received their funding first.
Normandy Beach, Brick and Toms River, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Toms River officials say their efforts to raise roads near the bay – a major, multi-neighborhood effort – have been met with positive reviews by residents in portions of Silverton and Ortley Beach where such projects have been completed. Funding was distributed proportionally to the two towns for the Normandy Beach project, and each town used its own engineer to design their own portions of the work.
The funding comes from the NJDOT’s Fiscal Year 2021 Municipal Aid Program, under which about $740,000 was committed to the work. It is expected that the elevation project will be completed sometime in the fall before asphalt plants close for the winter season in New Jersey.
