The Toms River Township Council will apply for a grant that would be used to elevate Harbor Court, Harbor Drive and Canal Lane to 2 feet above sea level.
The township’s grant application will be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT).
“This is not a project yet. We are simply applying for a grant to help fund it. It is not designed yet. However, this would be similar to the same type of project we have done on Washington Avenue and Creek Road. The Engineering Department focuses on raising the lower elevation streets. The lowest street gets priority,” Township Engineer Robert Chankalin said.
Chankalin said 2 feet above sea level seems to be the elevation that keeps a street dry.
“The Engineering Department prepares an estimate for the DOT. We give them the full cost. Typically, in the past, the DOT gives a grant amount between 25 percent to 30 percent of the construction amount,” he said.
Chankalin said the Engineering Department received grants in 2017 and 2018. He said that in 2017, $260,000 in grant money was awarded to the township for Bay Breeze Drive and Sea Breeze Road.
He said this year, the township received $475,000 for the elevation of Sixth Terrace.
Assistant Engineer Wendy Birkhead will develop an estimate for the Harbor Court, Harbor Drive and Canal Lane project. She estimated the total cost of the work would be about $1.17 million.
“The grant (Toms River receives) depends on how much the DOT has to spend. The grant application process is a competitive process each year,” Chankalin said, adding that the municipality may hear back from the state in early 2019.
“Once we get the grant, a survey will be done on the roads. Then there will be a meeting with residents and we will basically ask them what are they looking for. Once the residents pick one of the options presented to them on the elevation of the street, construction plans will be developed with the design chosen. The Engineering Department must then get all of the right of entry forms from the residents of the streets to be able to proceed,” Chankalin said.