State grant to help pay for bicycle path

Long Branch looking
for more money for
redevelopment project

BY CHRISTINEVARNO
Staff Writer

Long Branch looking
for more money for
redevelopment project
BY CHRISTINEVARNO
Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — A bicycle and pedestrian pathway is part of the city’s redevelopment plan to rebuild Ocean Boulevard.

The City Council passed a resolution Aug. 10 accepting a $200,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation for the construction of a bicycle path in the redevelopment area.

"The governor [James E. McGreevey] and I are committed to principles that complement smart growth and allow transportation to be a method for shaping and guiding community smart growth efforts statewide," Jack Lettiere, the commissioner of the state DOT wrote in a letter to Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider.

The DOT awarded Long Branch a Centers of Place grant, which is a part of DOT’s local aid program funded by the state Transportation Trust Fund.

"This allocation was made possible because of your municipality’s participation in the implementation of the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan," Lettiere wrote.

The money will support construction of the bike path, which is just a portion of the project to redesign Ocean Boulevard to connect the city with the oceanfront while making Ocean Boulevard a pedestrian-friendly road, Business Administrator Howard H. Woolley Jr. said.

Ocean Boulevard will continue to be four lanes, two lanes south and two lanes north, but will be narrowed and landscaping added to make it "work much better," Woolley said.

"We are looking for a pedestrian-friendly roadway that will not divide the city," Woolley said. "We want pedestrians to walk across it easily and safely. It was originally designed for automobiles."

The cost of the entire project will be about $9 million, and Woolley said the city has already acquired $4.7 million from state funding.

"Another $4 million will be needed to complete the project," Woolley said.

The bike path will run on the east­erly portion of Ocean Boulevard for the entire length of the oceanfront redevel­opment area, from North Bath to Seav­iew avenues.

Woolley said the city expects the developers designated to develop the sections of property in the redevelop­ment zone will build each portion of the bike path that will run through the property they are developing.

The portion from North Bath to Morris, known as Beachfront South, will be constructed by Shore Acquisi­tions LLC of Middletown, a K. Hovna­nian affiliate, Woolley said.

The city is looking to receive money from the state to fund comple­tion of the project, but if the funding falls short, the city will make up the deficit, Woolley said.

"The rest of the money could possi­bly come from the redevelopment fund," Woolley said. "The council would have to make that determina­tion."