On December 11, 2018 Toms River was awarded $5.6 million in federal funding for its Downtown Loop Road Project, designed to improve traffic flow, but most importantly reduce downtown flooding. The money was from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Grant. The project, in conjunction with Ocean County and the New Jersey Highway Authority, will create a loop between the Garden State Parkway and waterfront business district by elevating and reconstructing Herflicker Boulevard (Ocean County Road) as a one-way complete street, converting Water Street (Toms River Road) to a one-way complete street, and making roadway elevation improvements and upgrading Parkway Exit 81 (NJ Highway Authority). This funding was one of 91 awarded at the time totally $1.5 billion out of 851 applications.
To be perfectly clear, this has zero to do with downtown development and 100% to do with traffic flow and flooding! Yes, current and future development will need to consider site elevations relative to current and future plans, but when mentioned by an applicant at the July 3, 2024 Planning Board meeting, in which Mayor Rodrick was a member of the Planning Board…crickets! Included in a May 10, 2023 Bond Ordinance, approved by Council (Rodrick and Lamb voted NO) over $8,210,110 was included for paving and roadway improvements including this elevation project. But since January 1, 2024, no work has been performed to complete this work and the engineer working on the project, Urban Engineering, is not one of the Toms River engineers.
Why would Mayor Rodrick want to spend up to $2 million in tax payer money to purchase a underutilized property, but yet won’t spend Federal money to improve flooding in the downtown area? In a recent conversation with Ocean County, when inquires have been made with Toms River, no one has responded. Not to mention, NJ Natural Gas is currently remediating Herflicker Boulevard, so restoration and elevation work will be required, which may increase flooding on Iron Street, if done independently. Why doesn’t Rodrick’s Rules benefit Toms River and only benefit Daniel Rodrick?
More investigation is necessary as to why Mayor Rodrick is wasting tax payer money.