Board Urges Turnpike Authority Study

CREST HAVEN – Motor vehicle crashes, like those that occurred Jan. 16 and March 2 on Roosevelt Boulevard (CR 623) and the northbound interchange of the Garden State Parkway (GSP), in Marmora, caused the Board of County Commissioners to “strongly urge” the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to conduct a safety study there. 
Commissioners March 9 approved a resolution that calls upon the authority that operates the GSP to act. There is no full interchange at Interchange 20, in Seaville, although Upper Township residentshave long sought a full interchange there. 
Motorists wanting to go northbound on the GSP from the Seaville area must travel to Marmora, adding to the congestion.
The resolution noted that Roosevelt Boulevard is a four-lane highway that links Ocean City and Marmora. It consists of full GSP interchanges north and south.
“There have been numerous traffic accidents at the intersections of Roosevelt Boulevard and GSP… where vehicles have left the roadway, damaged private property, and placed a strain on the already overburdened congestion of the roadway,” the resolution states. 
The board seeks “necessary safety improvements to correct the hazardous conditions of the intersections…”
Copies of the resolution were sent to various state officials and legislators.
None of the seven Turnpike Authority commissioners reside in South Jersey. The chair is commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, and the vice-chair resides in Rutherford. Otherslive in Red Bank, Lawrenceville, Edison, Bayonne and Warren Township, according to the authority’s website.
Formerly, Cape May County had a representative when the GSP was a separate entity, but that ceased when the Turnpike Authority assumed the GSP under its control.
Fix the Sinkhole
The Middle Thorofare Bridge, linking the Wildwoods and Diamond Beach to Cape May via Ocean Drive, was the subject of another repair.
County Commissioners approved a “not to exceed $150,000” series of emergency contracts March 9 to repair a sinkhole, embankment stabilization, design, and construction services for the toll bridge.
According to the resolution, the County Bridge Commission engineer declared an emergency due to a sinkhole on an “active lane of the roadway.”
Under an Oct. 13, 2020, resolution, South State Inc.,”in consultation with Pennoni Associates, the inspecting engineer, installed a roadway plate to stabilize the area.
Design engineers WSP USA Inc. was engaged to develop a design plan and prepare and coordinate emergency and final environmental permitting to permanently repair the sinkhole and fix the embankment.
Honor International Women’s Day
At the urging of Commissioner E. Marie Hayes, the board passed a resolution noting International Women’s Day, honoring the “social,economic, cultural and political contributions and achievements of women.”
Hayes, who retired from the County Prosecutor’s Office, read a list of county women who made stellar achievements in their professions. 
International Women’s Day was March 8. The resolution noted that the first National Women’s Day was observed Feb. 28, 1909, and two years later, March 19, 1911, the first International Women’s Day was marked. 
In keeping with the above, the board reappointed Dottie Pearson and Patricia Taylor as members of the county Women’s Advisory Commission. Pearson will serve until Sept. 11, 2023. Taylor will serve until Jan. 24, 2024.
Red Cross Month Marked
March was designated American Red Cross Month in the county by another board resolution.
The document noted the importance of local volunteers who “deliver help and hope during a disaster.”
Code Blue Memo
Due to Covid another resolution was approved between Lower Township and the county regarding Code Blue placements. 
According to the document, the pandemic restricted the operation of a Code Blue warming center, and the county provided financial assistance to support warming centers.
A Code Blue alert is declared when temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit with precipitation and below 25 degrees Fahrenheit without precipitation and weather conditions pose a danger to the homeless population.
A note on the county website is as follows: “Warming Center operations will be suspended for fall 2020 and winter 2021 due to the difficulties associated with congregate settings and Covid. If you need shelter during a Code Blue declaration, please call 609-886-6200 ext. 2434 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m. or call 211 after 4:30 p.m. and on weekends and holidays.”
The resolution states that the county and township want to execute the understanding “for the opening of a warming center for emergency Code Blue placements in the event there are no available motel vacancies.”