The paths we travel

Last Updated on Monday, July 30, 2012 03:28 pm Written by Cindy Nevitt Friday, July 27, 2012 01:00 am

As promised, OC Unfiltered is looking at the city’s roads this week.

What has prompted this inspection? First, the very state of our streets. Every time I drive home, I must travel the length of one of the city’s worst roads. Second, the proposal by one of our councilmen two weeks ago to levy a special assessment of $125 annually for 10 years against each property owner in order to cut in half the city’s 20-year timeline to repair all the roads. That certainly intensified my interest in the issue.

The city has put quite a bit of information about our crumbling infrastructure on its website, www.ocnj.us. Every road in Ocean City has been assessed using the Asphalt Institute’s rating form, which rates 13 categories such as cracking and deficient drainage from 0 (no defects) to 10 (very poor). A rating of 10 in any one category could make a road a higher priority.

A color-coded map on the website shows 30 of the city’s 108 miles of roads and alleys are rated below 60, a rating that indicates those roads should be resurfaced in five to 10 years. Roads with a rating of 50 or lower are considered to be in poor condition and should be resurfaced in the near future. The most neglected roads are listed in the accompanying charts titled Overall Rating and Rating With Bonuses.

The city has placed a higher priority on roads that are used more heavily. With all things being equal, there are 33 roads in Ocean City that are rated below 50. With things weighted in favor of the more heavily traveled roads, the number of roads rated below 50 swells to 49. The city deducts 10 points from the scores of the most heavily traveled roads, three points from the scores of local roads and no points from the scores of alleys, thereby giving heavily traveled roads artificially low scores. The lower the score, the more desperately the road needs repairing.

For example, Simpson Avenue ending at 12th Street originally was rated 59.5 overall, putting it one-half point away from a 60 rating and the need to be repaved in five to 10 years. Allowing for its bonus deduction reduced its rating to 49.5, making it a road that needs repaving now.

Guess what kind of road I live on? One that barely scored 40, racking up five 10s in various cracking categories, a 9 in deficient drainage and a 7 in potholes. This is not a road that should be considered for resurfacing in the near future. This is a road that should have been resurfaced years ago.

Guess what kind of road Ocean City’s mayor lives on? One that scored 100. His alley scored 91. Guess that explains why, in opposing the proposed road tax, he was quoted as saying, “Our roads are in pretty good shape.” His road is in 2.5 times better shape than mine.

His business administrator, whom the mayor uses as a barometer for Merion Park, lives on a street that is rated 75.5, meaning it should be resurfaced in 10 to 20 years. That’s practically two times better than the street I live on.

With three streets on the city’s Top 15 Worst Roads List (Argyle, Oxford and Bartram), Merion Park is not in “pretty good shape.” It is in deplorable shape, and it is part of the reason why the 4th Ward tied with the 1st Ward for most streets on the Worst List.

To their credit, newly-elected Councilmen Pete Guinosso (4th Ward) and Mike DeVlieger (1st Ward) are making roads and drainage two of their top priorities. Guinosso has already held his first Ward meeting on the topic. DeVlieger’s is scheduled for Monday.

Also to his credit, At Large Councilman Keith Hartzell is trying to find a solution to the problem. Hartzell, who lives on an avenue with a 98 rating, could have kept his road tax idea to himself and continued joy riding around the downtown on his personalized golf cart. Instead, he stuck his neck out and made a bold move in suggesting property owners pony up for paved streets.

I’m not loving Hartzell’s suggested solution, but he’s got a better understanding of the situation than the man sitting in the mayor’s office.

What do you think? Post your comments to this column, or email the author at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Overall Rating                       Address         

37                                2nd St ending at Asbury

38                                7th St ending at Asbury

41                                Argyle to its terminus

42                                42nd St ending at Central

42.5                             53rd St ending at West

42.5                             12th St ending at West

43.5                             Oxford ending at Bartram

43.5                             3rd St ending at West

44                                Simpson/Haven alley ending at 6th St

45                                7th St ending at the beach        

45                                7th St ending at Ocean

45.5                             E. Surf Road ending at Wesley

46                                Central/Wesley alley ending at 27th St

46.5                             25th St ending at Wesley

46.5                             4th St ending at West

46.5                             Pleasure/Bay alley ending at 9th St

48                                1st St ending at Atlantic

48                                2nd St ending at West                          

48                                31st St ending at Asbury

48                                7th St ending at Haven

48                                Bartram ending at Waterview

48                                Haven ending at 16th St

48                                Simpson ending at 1st St

48                                Simpson ending at 31st St

48                                Simpson ending at 32nd St

48.5                             Arkansas ending at Bay

48.5                             Crescent ending at Gardens Parkway

48.5                             Haven/West alley ending at 28th St

48.5                             Stenton ending at Corinthian

49.5                             5th St/Brighton alley ending at the beach

49.5                             Asbury ending at 39th St

49.5                             Bayone ending at Pleasure

49.5                             West/Asbury alley ending at 32nd St

Rating with Bonuses  Address

34                                2nd St ending at Asbury

35                                7th St ending at Asbury

38                                Argyle to its terminus

38                                Simpson ending at 1st St

38                                Simpson ending at 31st St

38                                Simpson ending at 32nd St

39                                42nd St ending at Central

39.5                             53rd St ending at West

39.5                             12th St ending at West

39.5                             Asbury ending at 39th St

40.5                             Oxford ending at Bartram

40.5                             3rd St ending at West

41                                Haven ending at 16th St

41                                Bartram ending at Waterview

41                                Bridge Road ending at Gardens Parkway

41.5                             Simpson ending at 24th St

42                                7th St ending at the beach

42                                7th St ending at Ocean

42.5                             E. Surf Road ending at Wesley

43.5                             4th St ending at West

43.5                             25th St ending at Wesley

44                                Asbury ending at 45th St

45                                7th St ending at Haven 

45                                31st St ending at Asbury

45                                1st St ending at Atlantic

45                                2nd St ending at West

45                                10th St ending at the beach

45.5                             Arkansas ending at Bay

45.5                             Crescent ending at Gardens Parkway

45.5                             Stenton ending at Corinthian

46                                18th St ending at Bay

46.5                             Asbury ending at 47th St          

46.5                             Bayone ending at Pleasure

47                                Seaview Road ending at the beach

47                                Holly Tree ending at Pinnacle

47.5                             47th St ending at Central

47.5                             Marshall Lane to its terminus

48                                West ending at 55th St

48.5                             Central ending at 6th St

49                                2nd St ending at Atlantic

49                                33rd St ending at Haven

49                                3rd St ending at Atlantic

49.5                             Simpson ending at 12th St

49.5                             Gull Road ending at E. Surf

49.5                             12th St ending at Ocean

49.5                             16th St ending at West

49.5                             Bayshore Dr ending at 18th St

49.5                             Merion Place ending at the beach

49.5                             W. Aberdeen ending at Gardens Parkway

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