Coastal evacuation plan coordinates exodus

Coastal evacuation plan coordinates exodus
Plan will give county tools in event of natural disaster
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Monmouth County has unveiled a draft plan for coastal evacuation that takes a comprehensive look at the facilities necessary to move residents safely away from coastal areas.

The yearlong study of coastal evacuation routes prepared for the Monmouth County Planning Board channels residents of coastal communities west, away from coastal areas that would be flooded in the event of a major storm.

The study, conducted by Jacobs Engineering Inc. in cooperation with Reichman Frankle Inc. and Techniquest Engineering, was unveiled at an open house meeting June 2 at the Brookdale Higher Education Learning Center on Broadway in Long Branch.

The purpose of the Coastal Evacuation Routes Study is to evaluate transportation facilities used for evacuation along the New Jersey coastal region east of the Garden State Parkway, to recommend improvements to existing facilities, and to develop new ones where appropriate, according to the study.

"One of Monmouth County's finest assets — its 26 miles of bay coastline — is also a potential liability, as low-lying coastal areas are subject to flooding from wave action and weather, particularly during hurricane events," the study states.

Maps of evacuation routes (l-r) and emergency shelters are included in the coastal evacuation study.
The information can also be used when existing state and local plans are reviewed and updated, such as the county Office of Emergency Management's Emergency Operations Plan.

As outlined on the project website, monmouthcers. com, key objectives of the plan include:

• Collect transportation facility, operations and service network data for 12 critical infrastructure and emergency travel routes (portal facilities) in and around Monmouth County's coastal communities.

• Evaluate the inter-relationship of transportation routes and services and their capacity/ performance limitations, especially during peak seasonal periods.

• Group communities with common transportation routes and encourage them to work collaboratively to identify specific needs, issues and concerns.

• Evaluate potential physical/operational improvements to routes, including a range of transportation technologies.

The listed goals of the study include: to improve coastal routes; identify and address limitations to evacuation routes to ensure their efficiency during emergency situations; and promote awareness of evacuation routes and the evacuation process among residents, tourists, stakeholders and the general public.

Roadway widening, a network of shelters, backup power for traffic signals, evacuation route signs and new bridges are among the $150 million-plus in measures recommended in the study aimed at upgrading the county's plans for evacuation of coastal areas.

The study area includes 41 municipalities located east of the Garden State Parkway and divides the coastal area into three regions: northern, central and southern.

The northern region includes Aberdeen, Keyport, Hazlet, Union Beach, Keansburg, Holmdel, Matawan, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Middletown.

The central region includes Red Bank, Fair Haven, Sea Bright, Rumson, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Little Silver, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Eatontown, Tinton Falls, West Long Branch, Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Deal, Interlaken, Allenhurst and Loch Arbor.

The southern region encompasses Asbury Park, Avon- by- the- Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Brielle, Belmar, Lake Como, Manasquan, Neptune, Neptune City, Sea Girl, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Wall.

The study identifies 12 "portal" routes leading west from the coastal region.

The process involved stakeholders and each region was represented by a group with members from each municipality to give feedback on each local need.

A Technical Advisory Committee was also formed to work with the project team members. The TAC included the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management and the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Engineers Lakshan Wickramarachchi and Bob Brakman were available to answer questions during the June 2 open house.

"It was a one- year study where we picked routes based on how many people are in the area," Brakman said, adding, "There are three times as many people living here in the summer, so we could see where the worst locations are in the summer."

"We worked extensively with getting information from population studies," Wickramarachchi said. "We recommended physical improvements based on how many people live in the area. I think we were successful."

Information made available at the open house included evacuation routes, suggested road improvements, an estimated cost for each improvement and the lead agency to take on such a job.

For example, the study suggests the widening of Route 520 to create a full shoulder, which would be taken on by the county with an estimated cost of $16.5 million.

Also suggested is an upgrade of signals for wireless controls on Route 36 traffic lights, which would be taken on by the state at a cost of $322,000.

The study also suggests that the state widen Route 36 at the Broad Street intersection, which would cost an estimated $4 million.

The study broke down suggestions into long- , intermediate- and short- term projects and actions to be taken during emergencies.

For example, the suggested widening of Route 520 shoulder is a long- term project, while adding no parking placards is a short- term project.

The draft plan also suggests evacuation routes for coastal residents.

The engineers suggest that travelers in the Northern region take CR-39, CR-56/7, CR- 50/576, SR-36 or CR-8A/12/12A when evacuating and take Routes 520 or 36 or Park Avenue when in the Central zone.

Wickramarachchi explained the goal of the plan.

"This is not an everyday event," Wickramarachchi said. "We wanted a practical plan to get people out to use the resources we have available.

"These are the best ways out that we identified," Wickramarachchi continued. "These roads lead into other main roads in the area."

He added that in evacuating, the suggestion is to work from the coastline out.

"We developed a broad picture plan and hope to expand upon it," Wickramarachchi said. "We try to get to areas along the coasts first, like Sea Bright. We have to have the best option to lead people to safety."

According to Brakman, people are alerted 36 hours prior to an evacuation, but the advance warning often does little good.

"We have discovered that even if we give people 36 hour warnings they still wait until the last minute," Brakman said.

Another issue is the added traffic during the evacuation.

"Also, it is not just a family leaving in their cars," Brakman said. "It's families leaving in two or three cars. Nobody wants to leave a car there."


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