Monmouth County Wants To Build A Roundabout In Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Monmouth County will be eliminating .35 acres of Hartshorne Woods Park in Middletown so the county can make road improvements at the five-way intersection of Locust Avenue & Valley Drive, Navesink Avenue, Monmouth Avenue and Oakdale Run.

Specifically, this five-way intersection will be replaced with a traffic circle/roundabout.

To do this, Monmouth County needs to eliminate 0.35 acre from Hartshorne Woods, a 797-acre park.

That .35 acre to be removed is located at the southeast corner of the existing intersection.

To compensate for this diversion, Momouth County has agreed to acquire 1.26 acres, located immediately adjacent to the diverted area and is already contiguous with Hartshorne Woods. In total, this will result in a net increase of 0.91 acres to Hartshorne Woods Park.

Monmouth County decided to build the traffic circle after getting pedestrian and traffic safety concerns, said Monmouth Freehold Director Tom Arnone.

"In addition to providing for local travel, these roads provide an active and vital transportation link in the populated residential Bayshore communities to the Belford Ferry Terminal in Middletown, as well as the Seastreak Ferry Terminal in Highlands," said Arnone.

"(The traffic circle) will incorporate aesthetic details that will compliment and integrate into the surrounding area,” he continued. “The improved traffic flow will be highly beneficial to all that use these well-traveled routes."

Monmouth County anticipates awarding a contract at the end of 2021 and to begin advance utility work and clearing of the site through the winter, with full construction commencing in early Spring 2022, he said.

“With the approval of the diversion, Hartshorne Wood Park will gain almost an acre of land,” said Commissioner Ross Licitra.

"The County has proposed to divert 0.35 acres for the road safety improvements, however, the proposal includes compensating for that loss of encumbered land adjacent to the road, with 1.26 acres of land contiguous with Hartshorne Park Woods, thus netting an increase of 0.91 acres," said Arnone.

Hartshorne Wood Park is part of the preserved Highlands of the Navesink, and it's a very popular park that offers miles of hiking and biking trails, plus spectacular views of Sandy Hook Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.

Public hearing on this:

There will be a virtual public hearing about the proposed diversion (removal of the .35 acre, adding the .91 acre) on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 7 p.m. Members of the public may participate in the meeting by phone, or computer device such as a smartphone, computer, or tablet.

For audio-only participation, dial 408-418-9388 and enter the meeting ID: 129 097 9120. For computers and smart devices, navigate a web browser to https://countyofmonmouth.webex.com/, then join with meeting ID: 129 097 9120. When prompted for the meeting password, type “‘welcome’” to join.

Public Questions and comments will be taken during the meeting. Audio-only callers press *3 to virtually raise a hand. Smart device users may use the WebEx raise hand icon.

Alternatively, written comments may be submitted to the County during a public comment period that will close on June 10, 2021.

All written comments on the diversion request, or requests to review the materials at the Monmouth County Division of Engineering, may be directed to: Jessica Kubida, Environmental Specialist, Monmouth County Division of Engineering, Hall of Records Annex, 3rd Floor, One East Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728 or call 732-431-7760, ext. 6775. Please send a copy of any written comments submitted on this request to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Green Acres Program, Bureau of Legal Services and Stewardship, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420 Attn: Jessica Patterson or to Jessica.Patterson@dep.nj.gov.

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