Parkway Exit 83 Road in Backyard of Apartment Complex

A few young trees separate the backyards of some apartments at The Fairways at Bey Lea West from the new Mile 83 Parkway Interchange.

The new connector road to the Mile 83 interchange, to be named “Lomell Lane” after war hero Leonard “Bud” Lomell, runs behind some apartment buildings of The Fairways at Bey Lea West. Among these is Building 28, behind which the only barrier between it and the traffic on the new road are some small trees.

The road, which connects Route 571 to the parkway and to Route 166, broke ground last year and is nearly complete. The apartments were built in early 2011, just east of the new road.

Residents and staff at The Fairways at Bey Lea said that the closeby road, expected to alleviate congestion at Routes 571 and 166, will impact Fairways residents both positively and negatively. The road will make residents' commutes easier, but also put the noise of the road in their backyards.

Manager Robert Toledo said there were a “minimum amount” of trees planted by the county to create a barrier between the apartments and the road.

Toledo said there has been no mention of installing a sound barrier behind the apartment complex. Reggie Smith, Site Supervisor for the Fairways at Bey Lea West said the County will not be installing a guard rail.

“The County said that’s it,” Toledo said. Calls placed to the county engineer's department and public information office seeking specific barrier plans were not immediately returned.

Toledo said residents are not talking about the road located behind their homes yet, but thinks “they’re weary of it,” he said.

“People don’t want to rent,” said Toledo.

However, Toledo said he is looking forward to the road opening.

Toledo said that when the road opens, he hopes people will be less hesitant to rent the apartments which face the road from the back. Prospective renters who prefer the apartments that face County Road 571 now, will see that there is less traffic on the new road, he said.

Deborah Walling who rents an apartment in another section of The Fairways at Bey Lea complex said the new parkway access benefits her as a commuter but said the new traffic will obstruct the surrounding environment.

Walling said she pays more to live in a secluded, quiet section of The Fairways at Bey Lea and would not want a road in her backyard.

“Some apartments vary around $2,000 a month...who wants to pay that and have that in their backyard,” said Walling.

“It’s just going to create more traffic where it’s bad enough as it is,” said Walling.

Smith said his office had been notified about the reconfiguration construction before it commenced earlier this year. All of the apartment buildings had been built before construction work on the connector road began, said Smith.

Smith has yet to receive any complaints from residents he said, but expects that may change after the road .

“The true test will be when traffic is going through it — and what kind of traffic,” said Smith.

Ocean County Engineer Frank Scarantino said the reconfiguration construction is on target and the Mile 83 interchange will be fully operational July 4.