Ortley Beach ‘Streetscape’ Upgrades On Schedule for Late Fall Construction

Renderings of the anticipated Ortley Beach “Streetscape” design. (Credit: NV5)

A long-awaited plan to upgrade the “streetscape” of the Ortley Beach business district along the Route 35 northbound corridor is slated to begin in “late fall,” Toms River Councilman Justin Lamb said this week.

At a meeting of the township council on Wednesday, Lamb said the firm that designed the streetscape plan, ND5, is on schedule to be constructed after several years of negotiations with the state and local business owners led to a resolution of several issues. The state itself is funding the streetscape program, linked in part to grant funding awarded in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“I’ve been speaking with ND5, their design engineer and the township engineer,” said Lamb. “The package with the Streetscape plan is with the [New Jersey] DOT, and we need this to move forward.”

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Construction on the project is currently on schedule to begin in “late fall.”

Mayor Dan Rodrick said bids will be accepted for the construction portion of the project shortly.

“We’ll have beautiful pavers, lights, and things that are supposed to give a ‘town’ look to Ortley Beach,” he said.

Renderings of the anticipated Ortley Beach “Streetscape” design. (Credit: NV5)

The Ortley Beach streetscape plan. (Credit: Toms River Township)

The Ortley Beach streetscape plan. (Credit: Toms River Township)

The council in 2022 authorized NV5 to expend as much as $224,821 to develop the plan, an increase reflecting additional state funding.

The plan calls for enhancements that will be made to improve the public’s experience in the area, including better lighting, pedestrian accessibility and bike racks. News stands and benches will line the streets. New gateway signage and landscaping will amplify the area as well.

Effectively, the streetscape plan will give the business district a more uniform look, or branding, unique from neighboring Lavallette and the boardwalk-driven Seaside Heights. Most of the branding is centered around a coastal theme which includes the neighborhood’s signature “dolphin” logo.

While much of the design work was completed before 2022, the township hit snags in its implementation. A majority of business owners along Route 35 refused to sign easements allowing the state to use their properties for the design. A person with knowledge of the discussions at the time said the state also favored a different pedestrian plan than what had been submitted, urging more functional lights along the business district rather than subdued pathway lighting that was deemed to be most aesthetically pleasing.

The Ortley Beach streetscape plan. (Credit: Toms River Township)

Renderings of the anticipated Ortley Beach “Streetscape” design. (Credit: NV5)

Renderings of the anticipated Ortley Beach “Streetscape” design. (Credit: NV5)

Renderings of the anticipated Ortley Beach “Streetscape” design. (Credit: NV5)

Renderings of the anticipated Ortley Beach “Streetscape” design. (Credit: NV5)

This led the state to provide the funds that would allow NV5, which has performed work on the state highway during its post-Sandy reconstruction, to use its resources to put together the streetscape plan along the same highway.