How do you spell bad timing? Ask the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).
It's planning to start work on the Route 72 Causeway in July! That's the only access from the mainland to Long Beach Island, unless you come by boat.
DOT officials had said in March construction would not take place during the summer months due to the tourism season.
But the project was expedited to start July 20 (though the newly erected signs say the work will begin on July 17th). That's because the project was funding received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and must be spent quickly to rapidly create jobs and complete infrastructure projects.
The $4.18 million contract was awarded June 4. About 100 construction jobs will be created for rehabilitation of the bridge deck, ceiling cracks and safety walk, along with reconstruction of curbs and a resurfacing of the deck to preserve and protect the structure, until its replaced. That's scheduled in 2012.
Back in January, the DOT said the contract would be awarded in July, with work beginning around Labor Day.
Business representatives in southern Ocean County are worried about the expedited schedule, even with assurances the work will be done at night. They're questioning the government's attempts to launch an economic stimulus by creating work for 100 contractors at the expense of tourism related jobs. They say the project will hurt tourism on Long Beach Island. If you've ever sat in traffic along Route 72 from Philly or the Parkway on a hot summer morning, you might agree.
While there are efforts underway to extend the tourism season, the summer months still make or break businesses on Long Beach Island.
The Causeway carries about 42,000 cars per day during the summer.
Laura Giannotta
609-384-6121
Laura@JerseyShoreViews.com
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Little Egg Harbor REALTOR® Laura Giannotta
609.384.6121
www.JerseyShoreViews.com
Laura@JerseyShoreViews.com
OMG - this is not gonna be good for the economy of the Jersey Shore
Hi Laura
That's a big I can't believe it, Being from New Jersey, that a job for after the summer season.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
That is how things work. The city of Austin built a new airport and it took about 10 years to hammer out the details. Wouldn't you know the city waited until it was finished to consider that maybe a bigger road to get to the airport might be a good idea. So for the first four years getting to and from ABIA was hell on earth. Go figure?!?
Leave it to the elected officils to screw things up. all they are looking at is the 100 temporary jobs, it creates. (I thought this act was to create permanent jobs. I must have read it wrong.)
Leave it to the politicians to waste money. Giving people some jobs is great, but how much money are they going to lose, if tourists, or even the locals, can't get through?
Most of our summers are lousy here too ... full of road construction, because the Winters are so harsh that the roads always need repairs in Summer. Sometimes I almost welcome Winter, just so there is no construction anywhere. Sucks.
You would think in this century, we would have already discovered a way to melt snow without cracking the roads and making pot holes with the plows ... or maybe we could build a double decker street, so when when gets fixed, the other carries the load... I know I've seen this somewhere ... just not here.
Thank heavens they figured it out. Construction on a road to the beach should NEVER occur during the summer. I can only imagine how negativelyy that would impact this beach community's revenue if the road was under construction. Crises averted, yeah!!