def #112 06/09/10
INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES AT COLLEGE TO GET UNDER WAY;
PROVIDES PATHWAY TO KEAN PARTNERSHIP
TOMS RIVER – Ocean County is advancing plans to improve and expand the access to Ocean County College, here, in
order to accommodate the planned gateway building that will serve as the centerpiece to the Ocean County College and
Kean University partnership.
Phase I of the project which includes the construction of 1.1 miles of new roadway at the college to complete a
loop road around the college is expected to get started by Aug. 1 and will be completed in the early summer of 2011.
“We are very excited about continuing this work and moving this project forward,” said Freeholder Deputy Director John
P. Kelly, who is liaison to the Ocean County Department of Engineering. “This infrastructure work will provide the
necessary access and some amenities to a great educational opportunity for Ocean County residents.”
Kelly was referring to the partnership of the two-year community college with Kean University allowing Ocean County
College students to get their four-year degree from Kean but at the Toms River campus.
“This is an educational opportunity that will be provided to our residents,” Kelly said. “It provides an educational
option that didn’t exist in Ocean County before.”
The Ocean County Road Department has been getting the land at the college ready for the first phase of the college loop
road project.
“Our road department workers have been clearing about 42 acres of college property located to the west of the existing
campus in an effort to get ready for the college loop road,” said Freeholder Director James F. Lacey, who serves as
liaison to the Ocean County Road Department. “By doing the clearing work with in-house workers we are saving about $1
million.
“In this current economy that is a substantial amount of money,” Lacey said.
The Board of Freeholders will now seek bids on the first phase of the construction project.
According to Kelly the construction of 1.1 miles of roadway, will connect to 6/10ths of a mile of roadway already at
the college site making a complete loop around the campus and the expansion area that will house the Kean University
gateway building.
The work will also include construction of four detention basins designed to accommodate rainwater runoff for all
future improvements and parking lots for 700 vehicles.
Students returning to classes in the fall will notice some immediate changes to the access to the college with a new
traffic signal controlled intersection on College Drive as they enter the campus from Hooper Avenue. The temporary
traffic signal is part of the first phase of construction.
In it’s ongoing efforts to be a good neighbor, Ocean County will construct a 12-foot high board on board fence on the
college property that is adjacent to Squire Village in order to eliminate any potential traffic intrusions that could
occur. Also, in designing the loop road, an effort was made to berm the road so that cars are not visible beyond the
college campus.
“We wanted to make sure we addressed the concerns raised by residents during the master planning process,” said
Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who serves as liaison to Ocean County College. “Because this is such an important
project, we want to make certain it is embraced by our neighbors as well as the educational community.”
“In designing the loop road, its location has been kept as far as possible from any homes near the college. The proposed
road goes through the existing parking lot so as not to disturb the natural buffer that already exists,” Kelly said.
Kelly said the design of the loop road allows Kean and OCC to maintain all facilities in one place and students never
have to cross a road to get to a classroom.
“This is an important safety feature we are putting in place,” Lacey said. “This loop road creates a self-contained
campus. All buildings and facilities will be central within the loop.”
The project is estimated to cost about $5 million.
The second phase of the project will include widening the existing college roadway, additional parking and a new driveway
out to North Bay Avenue.
All the work is being done on about 42 acres of the college’s 700-acre campus.
“The land that is being used is all uplands,” Kelly said. “We are making every effort to stay away from any sensitive
areas.”
