LITTLE EGG HARBOR – A long time in the making, Little Egg Harbor is finally expected to receive a new Park-N-Ride facility near Exit 58 of the Garden State Parkway later this year. Residents and commuters can use this facility to carpool, making their commute less expensive, easier and safer.
“We expect construction to begin on this new facility by the spring,” said Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly, Director of Law and Public Safety and liaison to the County’s Engineering Department. “Commuters can take advantage of a paved and illuminated parking area which will make parking both safer and more convenient.”
He noted that the need for a parking lot is great in this southern portion of the county, as it is growing fast. Currently, commuters use clearings on the roadside as a makeshift parking lot near the exit.
“In the absence of any other alternative, commuters, in some instances, have over the years been forced to leave their vehicles in a poorly lit dirt lot with pot holes located off Route 539. We will now provide them with a new Park-N-Ride facility,” Kelly said.
The Park-N-Ride will consist of 49 parking spaces and a bus loading and unloading area. There isn’t one now, but the township anticipates a bus service to and from this area in the future.
The county has appropriated $400,000 for the construction of the facility. Of this amount, the design, permit and construction costs will all be reimbursed by the Turnpike Authority, said Kelly. The county is expected to advertise for bids for the project later this winter. The new facility also plans to include storm water upgrades and a maintenance-free lighting system.
“Ocean County is a commuter county,” said Ocean County Freeholder Director Gerry P. Little. “The County has been working in partnership with the state’s 9th District legislators and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to advance this project. We are very pleased that it’s moving forward.”
