Last Day for Public Comment on Proposed Railroad Avenue Access Road

Lacey residents have one more day to submit comments to the state Department of Environmental Protection before they make a decision to issue a Coastal Area Facilities Review Act (CAFRA) permit for the proposed Railroad Avenue connector road.

“This is one step in the permitting process,” Mayor Mark Dykoff told “We’re still waiting on final approval.”

A letter from the township regarding approval states the new public road would run through the Special Water Resource Protection Area but “the proposed project will not pose a threat to the environment, or public health, safety and welfare.”

The DEP proposes to grant a hardship waiver for encroachment for the protection area and has determined that storm water quality standards will be met, the letter says. The state department is seeking public comment prior to issuing the permit.

“The hardship was not created by any action or inaction of the applicant or its agents,” the letter says. “The applicant seeks to resolve a local traffic problem. The proposed project is the only prudent and feasible alignment to resolve the problem.”

Residents are given a 30-day period to comment on the issue, DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese said in January. Once the comments are compiled, the DEP will prepare a comment response document, which will eventually lead to a final determination.

The debate of building a bypass road along the old Central Railroad of New Jersey has been in the planning stages for more than a decade.

“If and when we receive the permit, we’re going to look into it,” Dykoff said. “We did bond a significant amount of money.”

Municipal Clerk and Township Administrator Veronica Laureigh envisions the road to serve as an alternate for Route 9 and bypass the commercial arteries of Lacey Township, she previously said.

According to Laureigh, there would be no residential traffic coming to the new road. There would be a north and south lane from Lacey Road by the Forked River Elementary School heading north to South Street. When the road passes Hebrew Park it would run parallel to Warren Avenue and come out to Bay Way. 

The DEP reached a settlement agreement with the township that could result in the issuance of permits, Ragonese said.

Lacey was originally denied the CAFRA permit because the DEP questioned the plans for stormwater control and buffers. The township filed an appeal and came back with a revised application addressing the deficiencies.

Modifications include a stormwater control system utilizing a vegetative filter; vegetative buffers between the road and residential and commercial properties, and a minimum of a 5-foot buffer between the bypass road and the planned recreational trail.

“Based on their submission, they complied with the requirements of DEP rules and we reached an agreement,” Ragonese said. “This triggers the 30-day comment period.”

Resident Lucy Wilson encourages those who received a registered letter from the township to voice their opinions.

“Read it carefully and if you are concerned, please write or phone the person listed in the final paragraph of the notification,” she said in an e-mail. “This action would effectively pave over our proposed linear park, which the Rail-Trail people have been attempting to preserve for many years.”

Wilson and her husband have been committed “protectors of the land” since 1984. “We both felt that preserving this linear park was important,” she said.

There are dangers associated with building a road and a trail on limited space and in such close proximity to an elementary school, she said.

Although the DEP will be considering public comment, the decision is primarily based on environmental issues, Ragonese said.

“Whether there’s a local sentiment about a path or proposed linear park, that has to be a local government decision,” he said. “[The township] came to us with a permit request on environmental issues. That’s our role there.”

Written comments regarding the proposed hardship exception can be sent to Charles Welch, Supervisor of the Land Use Regulation Program, P.O. Box 439, Trenton, NJ 08625 or by telephone at 609-777-0454. All comments must be received by Friday, Feb. 10.

The DEP is also considering an extended period for public comment. A decision will be made by Friday.