Driver Charged After Hitting Red Bank Broadwalk Bollard

RED BANK, NJ — A metal bollard, one of several installed to protect the Broadwalk pedestrian plaza in town, did its job when it was struck by the driver of a Jeep early Monday morning.

On Aug. 28 at about 2:30 in the morning, the driver of a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee hit a bollard - or protective pillar - at Broad Street and White Street, said Capt. Michael Frazee.

After hitting the bollard, the Jeep sustained front-end damage to the extent it deployed the vehicle's air bags, he said.

The driver, of Eatontown, was later arrested for DWI and released. The bollard sustained minimal cosmetic damage and appears to be functional, he said.

"This is the first real accident that has occurred in which a vehicle struck a bollard at a significant speed. Thankfully this occurred in the early morning hours when pedestrian traffic was light. The bollard seemed to have lived up to the test and actually stopped the vehicle in its tracks," he said.

He said that last year a truck backed up slowly into one of the bollards on Mechanic Street and that, too, sustained little to no damage to the bollard - but damaged the truck's bumper.

"We're happy it successfully fulfilled its purpose and that no one was hurt," Tom Hanley, Events and Marketing manager for Red Bank RiverCenter, said of the incident.

He said the red plastic covering placed over the bollard to make it more noticeable did take some damage and will be replaced.

The Broadwalk, a summer concept by RiverCenter for outdoor dining, music and other activities, will be operating until Oct. 1. The bollards are retractable, and through traffic will return to the northern end of Broad Street after Oct. 1.