Road Barricades Aim To Help Outdoor Dining In Ocean County

TOMS RIVER, NJ — As restaurants get ready for Monday's reopening of in-person dining in New Jersey, one of the key issues — where they will set up outdoor dining — poses significant challenges for some businesses.

For those with a self-contained parking area, making arrangements mostly consists of deciding where and how to lay out tables and seating and getting approvals from town officials. But for restaurants that front on a county road with no buffer, where patrons can sit becomes more tricky.

Ocean County officials have been working with town officials to help those restaurants faced with the seating dilemma, by closing roads or putting up barricades along them to create more space along sidewalks.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced last week that restaurants and bars could return to in-person dining, outdoors, beginning Monday. A number of restrictions will be in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Read more: Here's What To Do At NJ Bars, Restaurants Under Coronavirus Rules

"Up until now many of these restaurants have been allowed only curbside pickup and delivery," said Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly, liaison to the Ocean County Engineering Department. "We have received a number of calls from municipalities asking that we help accommodate restaurants located on county roads that want to have outside dining. We want to do everything we can to make this happen safely."

Ocean County has more than 75 roads encompassing more than 600 miles that are under the county's control. Officials have been in discussions with town officials from Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant Beach and Toms River to determine the best set up that will allow a good dining experience while keeping everyone safe.

In Toms River, the county is allowing for the temporary closure of one block of Washington Street, from Main Street to Robbins Parkway, to accommodate outside dining.

In Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant Beach, county roads will remain open to motorists but barricades will be put up to block off parking spaces along the road so people can safely access the restaurants while dining tables will be located on the sidewalk.

"We are working to help our small businesses that have been dramatically impacted financially by the coronavirus," Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari said. "We want to do all we can to accommodate them while keeping safety a priority. Their economic health is the county’s economic health.

"We wish Governor Murphy had allowed for this sooner," Vicari said.

The requests are being addressed on a case-by-case basis, and the arrangements will not go beyond the coronavirus emergency.

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