Irene Will Cost County Less Than $1.5M

will spend less than $1.5 million repairing roads approaching county bridges, guard rails and streets near culverts under highways, a price that would have been two or three times that much had private contractors been used instead of county crews, according to Freeholder John P. Kelly.

No county bridges were damaged, but the massive walls of water sent gushing downstream by rains from Hurricane Irene undermined roads approaching those spans, in some cases in Jackson Township, creating caverns under the asphalt that could have swallowed cars or even dump trucks.

By Friday, county officials expect all of the county roads that are still closed to be repaired and open. They are located in Toms River at the Manchester border, and in Jackson and Plumsted townships, according to Road Supervisor Tom Curcio.

Those officials praised county crews that worked throughout the storm and since to repair damage to the longest county road network in the state, more than 620 miles in length.

Kelly said workers for the Road Department have fixed some of the damaged roads and are in the process of fixing the rest.

At the Francis Mills bridge on Route 571 in Jackson, which will soon be replaced, the water from a branch of the Toms River carved a cavern under the road, although the asphalt pavement made it look from the highway that there was little damage. A driver trying to cross the pavement would have been swallowed up, Kelly said.

County Engineer Frank Scarantino said the water flooded 19 roads and 12 bridges, but damaged none of the spans.

One of the flooded bridges was the new Vince’s Bridge carrying in Toms River over the main branch of the Toms River. It was designed to deal with the most severe storm of the next century without flooding, Scarantino explained.

Freeholder James F. Lacey, who is also the executive director of the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority, said he kept an anxious eye on the water flowing down the north branch of the Metedeconk River, a source of drinking water for the MUA.

The flood stage was 8 feet, but the water level rose to 11.4 feet, he explained.

He said Road Department workers used 3,000 hours of overtime, cut and cleared 500 trees from county roads, and spread 700 tons of asphalt.

Kelly said 8,000 homes were still without electricity Wednesday, despite strong responses by utility companies. The county’s Office of Emergency Management is working to find temporary housing for 12 people displaced when their homes in Manchester’s were condemned.

Bartlett said the county has the money to pay for repairing the storm damage.

“We have a little money put away,’’ he said.

He also revealed that after meeting with the county’s financial advisors Wednesday he is confident the county will retain its AAA bond rating next year.

“I’m more than satisfied,’’ with the response, said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “We’re fully open and operational.’’