The BRICK Times Vol. 25 - No. 38
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
$1M Study Targets Traffic Hot Spot
In This Week’s Edition
January 24, 2026
Car Wash Construction Impacts Neighbors
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Page 7
Community News Page 8-11
Inside The Law Page 17
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Photo by Chris Lundy The Brick Boulevard intersection with Hooper Avenue and Chambersbridge Road is dangerous for pedestrians. By Jason Allentoff BRICK - Ocean County will lead a federally funded transportation study aimed at improving safety and easing congestion in one of the township’s busiest areas. The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Board of Trustees approved $1 million in federal funding at its January meeting. The study will concentrate on the Brick Boulevard intersection with Hooper Avenue on one side and
Chambers Bridge Road on the other. Officials say high traffic volumes, frequent crashes and complicated turning movements create ongoing safety and congestion problems. These roads also include numerous driveways and wide intersections that pose challenges for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, particularly during peak commuting hours. “These corridors are among the most heavily (Hot Spot - See Page 4)
Task Force: Nowhere To House Homeless By Stephanie Faughnan OCEAN COUNTY - Many point to Ocean County’s homelessness crisis and argue that the missing piece is a year-round shelter. While shelters are designed to provide emergent refuge, participants at a recent Ocean County Homelessness Trust Fund task force meeting pointed to a broader challenge. The lack of affordable housing makes it incredibly difficult to transition people once temporary options end. That theme shaped a detailed discussion as county officials, nonprofit providers, advocates, and members of the public gathered in person and virtually for the meeting, chaired by Brick Township Administrator Joanne Bergin.
The task force includes representatives from nonprofit service providers as well as municipalities with the highest numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Bergin and Lakewood Township Administrator Robert Lawson will continue to serve on the panel. Toms River, which has been identified as having the county’s largest unhoused population, will not have a representative after township officials did not submit the required reappointment paperwork. A Fund Created To Fill In The Gaps The Homelessness Trust Fund was established in 2023 after
GOLD Exceeds $4,500 an Ounce! OVER 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS
HIGHEST RATED CASH FOR GOLD STORE IN OCEAN COUNTY
Photo courtesy Gianna Galeotafiore The car wash construction has caused unsightly and dangerous conditions, a neighbor said. By Chris Lundy BRICK – During a recent Township Council meeting, a resident said that a construction project is causing trash and dangerous conditions in nearby neighborhoods. Gianna Galeotafiore, of the Laurelton Heights section of town, said that the construction of a car wash on Route 88 is causing the land to be cleared. This is creating unsightly conditions nearby, in terms of garbage and the appearance. Furthermore, Route 88 was a dangerous road already, with much more traffic on it than it was built to handle, she said. Adding another high-traffic business just makes the problem worse. There are more businesses being allowed but there are no improvements being made to the road. After the meeting, fences were built around the property which might contain the trash, but they also block the view of drivers coming to that busy intersection, she said. She asked Mayor Lisa Crate and the Township Council to fight these kinds (Car Wash - See Page 4)
(Homeless - See Page 5)
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