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Residents press council on repaving, streetlights and traffic safety; officials point to 90‑day repave rule and JCP&L repair process
Summary
Public commenters raised repeated concerns about streets damaged by utility work, nonfunctioning streetlights and dangerous truck traffic; officials described a 90‑day settling requirement before final paving and urged residents to report outages to JCP&L and to document problem locations.
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Multiple residents used the March 25 public comment period to press the council on street conditions after utility and water‑department work, broken streetlights and safety issues on Route 37 and residential streets.
Tony Iverso said his Rico Avenue pavement — opened for water work — has a collapsing sink area and asked why the street had not been repaved. Officials and staff replied that township permits and the road‑opening rules generally give utility contractors a 90‑day settling period before final repaving so sub‑grade settlement can occur; if final paving has not occurred after the permit period, residents should report the site to the township for enforcement.
Resident Julie Adamix and others complained of a cluster of safety and maintenance problems on Route 37 and other local roads, including nonfunctioning garage lights and trucks using residential Sierra Grove Road. Council members and the mayor urged residents to report specific streetlight locations using the silver identifier bands on poles to JCP&L and to contact the mayor’s office or the clerk to trigger follow-up. The mayor said the township’s night watchman and JCP&L crews have repaired recent large outages promptly.
Councilwoman O’Toole described how immediate hot‑patch repairs on a road that has not settled can create long‑term dips, and recommended allowing adequate settling before permanent paving; Public Works said Veolia and other utility permittees are tracked and accountable under road‑opening permits.
Why it matters: Damaged pavement, nonfunctional lighting and heavy truck traffic are public‑safety issues for pedestrians and drivers; the township emphasized permit enforcement and resident reporting as the mechanisms to prompt repairs and final paving.
What officials said next: Administration asked residents to document location details (street names and JCP&L pole identifiers where applicable) and promised to follow up. The clerk said a newsletter notice will describe how to file complaints and follow enforcement steps for roads opened by third parties.
