Road Bottleneck Discussed by City Council

SEA ISLE CITY — Sea Isle City Council met Aug. 11 and a variety of issues related to local road conditions and safety were raised and discussed.
Sea Isle Boulevard
Council President John “Jack” Gibson said the ongoing improvements affecting the maneuverability of Sea Isle Boulevard continue to be cause for concern for himself and for residents and visitors alike.
When this major thoroughfare, now a tight two lanes, shuts down because of an accident “the situation strangles us and I notice that traffic backs up for miles with drivers turning around to come back to Sea Isle and go either north or south to detour,” said Gibson.
“In either case, they must pass over a toll bridge which is another problem for Sea Isle. I’m thinking of proposing to the (Cape May County) Bridge Commission that they reverse the pattern of alternating tolls so that it doesn’t continue to adversely and disproportionately affect us,” he continued.
Gibson explained that such a toll reversal, even temporarily for the life of boulevard construction or even during high visitor season, is a “big deal” since tolls from Wildwood Crest to Longport would be affected.
Gibson said he will call for citizen input to see if there is any strong support or opposition to his proposal and based on that might propose an appropriate resolution to be passed within the next few weeks.
Boulevard Bikers
Freeholders recently passed a resolution that prohibits pedestrians and bicycle traffic along Sea Isle Boulevard given the ongoing construction which has reduced the road to a very tight two lanes with no shoulder.
Nevertheless, residents complained during the general comment portion of the meeting that they continue to encounter bikers along the boulevard, frequently at night, and in violation of the resolution.
“At the start of construction we would see a number of patrol cars even using radar and this seemed to somewhat control the very dangerous problem of bikers using this road,” said one resident. “Sea Isle City doesn’t have jurisdiction over this road, it’s the State Police backed up by the county sheriff, so please let them know that these hazardous conditions continue since we all know there is absolutely no room for bikes and walkers to safely traverse the boulevard,” advised Gibson.
Later Aug. 11, at the 7 p.m. freeholders’ meeting, Sea Isle City Mayor and Freeholder Vice Director Leonard Desiderio, who responded to concerned citizen Lynn Shirk, who had attended the city meeting, said the city police captain had “A conversation with the Sheriff’s Department, and the enforcement will be coming soon, possibly by this weekend (Aug. 15-16). The sheriff’s officers will be monitoring the speed, monitoring any pedestrians, bicycles, and they will be issuing summonses.”
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton added, “The sheriff has been very responsive with his staff. He has really stepped up.”
Eroded Curb
Committee member Frank Edwardi noted he has observed and been approached by residents that the curb on the west side of Landis Avenue between 85th and 86th streets has completely eroded. “The east side is also in bad shape, but on the west side it’s disappeared completely, and people are parking their cars right on the sidewalk because of it,” said Edwardi.
Business Director George Savastano promised to look into the issue and repair it.
What If?
The Sea Isle Boulevard project will continue for five years and repairs for the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge will start soon and go on for many months. In light of these road impasses, citizens are worried that any resulting detours will cause dangerous delays in emergency service to arrive in a timely fashion.
Council responded to an inquiry that presented the concern of how do emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and fire engines, arrive in time to adequately help in times of trouble?
“I believe they have emergency plans in place, it’s true we did have trouble before with fire engines arriving to help the several houses that burned down in Sea Isle City,” said Gibson.
Embedded Salary
On the consent agenda, council unanimously passed a resolution authorizing reappointment of Thomas J. D’Intino as emergency management coordinator. Responding to a question, Savastano said “D’Intino, as police chief, receives as part of his overall salary an ’embedded’ amount of the sum of $7,000 to serve in this position for an appointment of three years.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.