An area of Hooper Avenue will be redesigned, with one jug-handle being removed and a new road being constructed near the site of the future Veterans Administration outpatient clinic.
The Ocean County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted to solicit bids for the project, which will implement a design to build out Castlebuono Avenue – portions of which are now a “paper right-of-way” that is covered by a wooded area – and realign the area between Hooper Avenue and Salerno Drive. About 900-feet will be added to Castlebuono, which will connect to Salerno Drive, a street which legally exists but has not been built. The network of roadways will provide access to the clinic as well as county offices next door, including the county’s new social services building which is under construction.
A roadway improvement design off Hooper Avenue near the site of the future VA Outpatient Clinic. (Credit: Ocean County Engineer)
“The VA developer is building Salerno Road up to Caudina Avenue, and once everything is complete the jug-handle will be removed,” said County Engineer John Ernst.
Instead of using the existing jug-handle, motorists will be able to take the new network of streets to Caudina, where they will be able to make a turn back onto Hooper Avenue’s southbound lanes.
“It will service the veterans clinic as well as provide access from [Social Services] up into the intersection at Hooper-Chestnut-Caudina,” said Ernst. “That will provide the turnaround for anybody who wants to come back into town.”
An intersection along Hooper Avenue, Toms River, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The roadway design is “flexible,” meaning it can be modified in the future to account for any additional development that occurs in the area, which is a formally-declared redevelopment area.
“This plan is going to transform the whole area,” said Commissioner Joseph Vicari. “It’s going to be a major improvement to the area and also improve the flow of traffic.”
