MARGATE – Despite objections from residents, business owners and one of the commissioners, the city advertised Tuesday to accept bids to construct the Washington Avenue streetscape project. Supporters say the project will connect two business districts, improve traffic safety for all users and beautify the neighborhood. Detractors say the project will create traffic nightmares on the planned one-way street.
During the last two Board of Commissioners meetings, residents pleaded with the board to revise the project and eliminate the switch to one-way traffic traveling toward the bayfront business district.
Commissioner Maury Blumberg said the project should be delayed because “our job is to make decisions based on public input.”
Blumberg said the project was not properly promoted to the public and that everyone he speaks to about it agrees Washington Avenue should continue to be a two-way street. He asked that city engineer Ed Dennis Jr. of Remington & Vernick Engineers revise the bid specifications to include an alternate proposal keeping the roadway configuration as it is today.
“They believe nothing is broken about it,” he said.
Blumberg was outvoted 2-1 to move forward with the project.
Mayor Michael Collins said the project fulfills goals contained in the city’s 2016 Master Plan, which included numerous meetings with business owners and residents; the issue has been discussed at every meeting in the engineer’s report; and since November 2022, the commissioners passed five resolutions advancing the project, including a request to extend the timeline for a federal grant being used to fund the project.
“As late as July 17 meeting, there was a resolution to put it out to bid. All those resolutions passed unanimously,” he said. “The last dozen or so people I’ve spoken to are all in favor of it.”
Blumberg said when the Master Plan was developed, the city believed the Washington Avenue corridor would have more commercial businesses, but instead residential properties were rebuilt.
“What we have now is a residential corridor. What happened then and what’s happening now are different,” Blumberg said.
PROVIDED/Revised Washington Avenue streetscape renderingThe project includes water and sewer infrastructure improvements that the engineer says will help with nuisance flooding, brick sidewalks, corner ramps, bump outs, curbs and gutters, decorative lighting and street trees. The original plan had a bi-directional bicycle lane, but that idea was changed twice after meeting with stakeholders.
The $3.5 million streetscape beautification project is being funded in part with $162,000 from the NJ Department of Transportation Safe Routes to Transit grant program, and $1.5 million from the competitive federal Transportation Alternatives Set Aside program.
Commissioner Cathy Horn said she had concerns initially about the switch to a one-way street but after meeting with the engineer, who revised the bicycle lane configuration to accommodate residents’ concerns, she is OK with it. She was also concerned about fire trucks getting through, but after speaking with the fire chief, was assured that fire trucks would be able to maneuver safely.
Horn said she believes there is “resistance to change,” just like there was when Amherst Avenue was changed to a one-way street traveling toward Longport and a bicycle lane installed.
“I remember when they made Amherst Avenue one way, I was livid,” she said. “Now I don’t even remember it being two-way.”
One resident said the commission is not hearing their concerns.
“No one cares about our opinion. I haven’t talked to anyone yet who is for it…If we get 10 bikes a day on Washington Avenue, it’s a lot.”
Real estate broker Joseph DiLorenzo of Premier Properties said residents and businesses were not notified about the changes and he is concerned delivery trucks will block driveways and cause traffic to back up, or worse, go around the trucks using the bike lane.
Bids are due to the Municipal Clerk’s Office by 11 a.m. Sept. 11.
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