TOMS RIVER – To the relief of many drivers, the controversial idea to convert a stretch of Route 35 from two, one-way streets to two, two-way streets is officially “off the table.”
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) had suggested this idea to apply to a 3.1-mile section of the road in Lavallette and the Ortley Beach section of Toms River. They were also considering requiring cars to back in to parking spaces on that busy road.
These ideas never got past the conceptual stage, as the pushback from the public was so great. There were two loud and well attended public hearings in July where residents and local leaders overwhelmingly rejected the ideas.
State transit engineers initially floated the concepts as part of a safety review for the barrier island corridor. NJDOT officials cited 166 vehicle crashes, 22 bicycle crashes, and a fatal pedestrian accident between January 2020 and December 2022. The idea aimed to reconfigure the one-way northbound (Ocean Ave) and southbound (West Central/Grand Central Avenue) sections into two-way traffic lanes to reduce driver confusion.
One public hearing at the Lavallette Borough Hall was standing room only. A little later in the day, a similar crowd filled the Moose Hall Lodge in Ortley Beach. The NJDOT representatives heard strong pushback from public officials such as Lavallette Mayor Walter LaCicero and Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-10th)plus hundreds of residents who argued that two-way traffic and mandatory back-in diagonal parking would worsen summer congestion and endanger pedestrians.
During the Lavallette hearing, Kanitra asked those in the audience if they were “in favor of two-way traffic on Route 35?” Their response was a resounding and very loud “no!”
“The room is packed … and you mentioned earlier that if the community didn’t want it you wouldn’t do it. I think we could probably calm down the entire room if we went through them individually and you gave us feedback that you are not going to go forward,” Kanitra remarked.
Many residents present suggested the NJDOT focus on other methods to reduce accidents and voiced their own ideas on how bicycle lanes could be safer, recommending better signage, increased law enforcement presence as well as marking the lanes.
“Paint all your bicycle lanes green,” was a suggestion by Lavallette Council President Anita Zalom during the Lavallette hearing.
The study did show an increase in crashes during summer months that LaCicero noted was “nothing unusual for a tourist-driven town,” He expressed that if the proposed changes to be implemented, “parking downtown would become a nightmare.”
LaCicero told The Toms River Times that one issue, the two way traffic considered for Route 35 North and South was confirmed as a dead issue but “the rest of the proposals (speed limit reduction and back end parking) is still out there. They did say they would not move forward without public and public official support so we’ll take them on their word.”
The mayor said he received notice from the DOT Commissioner’s office on the matter. LaCicero added that some of the DOT’s ideas concerning bicycle lane visibility and signage were actually good ideas and that the overall long-term process of the improvement plan was set to go on until 2032. “I’m confident that we will get an agreement that is acceptable to all.”
NJDOT officials described the reaction from the public as a misunderstanding of preliminary suggestions. The dismissal of the plan came as little surprise to most residents and officials as DOT representatives told JerseyShoreOnline.com that it would not pursue a proposal that was not supported by public officials or the public at large.
Among those relieved that the NJDOT idea is not moving forward is Lavallette resident Valerie Mahoney who was not in favor of the changes suggested. “It would impact the businesses; there would be a parking issue. The study that the state did was during the winter months when the town is quiet. I heard it was for traffic safety to reduce accidents but this seems like the exact opposite would happen,” she told JerseyShoreOnline.
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