Keep Brick Blvd. stores on your list

Keep Brick Blvd. stores on your list

It’s been a long road for merchants along Brick Boulevard — 1.68 miles, to be exact. That length of the road is undergoing an overhaul that will eventually modernize this main artery between Ocean County’s most populous municipalities, Brick and Dover/Toms River.

Make no mistake, Brick Boulevard needs the work. Few could have envisioned this once two-lane road, designed to handle 1960s traffic conditions, would now be driven by 30,000 cars per day. But today, stores along this strip are struggling to deal with the chaotic construction that steers shoppers from going anywhere near it.

In October, a Bulletin reporter interviewed a random group of merchants and shop owners along the strip, and heard common problems in their stories.

Many described situations where workers would show up unannounced and tear up their parking lots — whether to work on underground pipes, begin installing curbs or some other purpose — and not return for weeks. The destroyed parking lots and blocked driveways have sometimes left customers unsure if the stores were even open for business.

Many merchants reported drops in earnings in the 20-30 percent range. This includes the non-profit Jersey Shore Animal Shelter, which depends on a thrift shop to support its operations.

In a meeting with Brick Boulevard business owners last week, organized by Brick’s administration and Chamber of Commerce, county officials held to their autumn target date for the project’s completion.

An efficient Brick Boulevard will be fantastic for these businesses, but first they have to endure to that day. Those who would avoid shopping along Brick Boulevard because of the traffic situation should consider that these stores have been dealt a bad hand through no fault of their own, and could use the business.