Holmdel Road To Close On Friday

HOLMDEL, NJ — In continuing work on a controversial natural gas regulator project, Holmdel Road between Roberts Road and Route 520 will be closed on Friday, July 7, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., police say.

While traffic cannot pass through the work zone, businesses on Holmdel Road are still accessible, police said in an announcement on Thursday.

Businesses on the north side can be accessed from Roberts Road and businesses on the South side are accessible via Route 520 or Spring Valley Drive, police said.

Police advise planning an alternate route. Detours will be set up.

Work in the area has been going on for about three weeks as part of a continuing NJ Natural Gas regulator project - a project being contested in court by the township.

The township has been involved in continuing litigation with the gas company about its plan to build a regulator station at 960 Holmdel Road in the southern part of the township. The proposal got its latest go ahead recently from the state Board of Public Utilities.

In a recent statement, Mayor DJ Luccarelli said “Our community has done everything in its power to fight this. Unfortunately the BPU has overridden everything that we were fighting for.”

The statement also included some past history and an update on the litigation between the gas company and the township:

• The Holmdel Zoning Board had denied an application by New Jersey Natural Gas to install gas regulator equipment on Holmdel Road, a decision which the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities overrode.
• The Township Committee appealed the BPU’s decision to the Appellate Court and filed a request for leave to file an emergent appeal, asking the Appellate Court to put the installation on hold pending the outcome of the appeal.
• The Appellate Court recently denied the requested stay and the gas company has moved forward with the installation of the gas regulator equipment.

As a public utility, the gas company was not required to obtain construction permits from the township, the township has said.

The gas company has previously commented on the project:

“Both the BPU and administrative law judge in this matter have agreed with NJNG that this is an important project that is in the public interest to benefit Holmdel residents and other customers in the area with safe, reliable lifeline natural gas service. We are moving forward with construction of the regulator station,” according to the recent statement from Director of Communications Kevin Roberts.

Should the township ultimately win its appeal, "It is Holmdel’s expectation that the gas company would be ordered to remove the regulator station," the mayor's statement said.