BERKELEY – Although much of Berkeley appears built out, there are still pockets that are under development, and these cause growing pains for those who have lived here a long time.
A few residents brought up traffic and construction issues during the most recent Township Council meeting. One resident noted that there was nearly a head-on collision on Mule Road.
Mule Road becomes a thoroughfare for people trying to get to Route 37, they said. Not only are there many streets emptying into it from the senior communities, but some people can access it from Davenport Road if they want to get there from South Toms River and Route 530.
They said that there are areas on Mule Road that are not very well lit at night. Combine this with tree branches hanging down and deer wandering around, it becomes very dangerous for senior drivers.
“There’s been a few close calls,” south of Davenport, where there’s no sidewalk and no shoulder, they said.
Another spot that is dangerous sometimes is the on-ramp from Ocean Gate Drive onto Route 9, said Bayville resident Susan Weigman. This ramp is by Ace Power Tools and the giant champagne bottle.
It has a yield sign now, but she suggested it should be a stop sign with a flashing light because drivers merge aggressively onto 9, cutting off drivers.
Ocean Gate Drive becomes Korman Road on the western side of Route 9, and Weigman is also concerned about construction that is going on at the end of that road.
Korman goes through a quiet residential area until it hits what was a dead end at one time. Now it’s a clear-cut street being built. The name “Landings At Bayville” is on a sign discarded against a resident’s fence. There are a few small apartment complexes off Korman and portions of the road lack sidewalks.
“For 51 years I’m here, for 51 years my street has flooded,” she said. With the road and houses leaving less room for rain to dissipate, she expects to have even more flooding.
Besides that, the construction has been a bad neighbor, she said, describing trucks coming in at 7:10 a.m. and making tons of noise.
She asked how the developer could get away with it – except that they are a politician.
Officials clarified that the property originally belonged to St. Barnabas Church, then ARYA properties was going to build on it. ARYA is co-owned by Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi. However, ARYA isn’t involved anymore, it’s now being developed by D.R. Horton.
A request to D.R. Horton for comment was not returned by the time of publication.
Speaking of roads, the township engineer said they are looking at other towns’ ordinances to determine how to tighten up the rules on when a contractor has to repave after doing work.
