The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-08-11

Ocean Boulevard.
If A movement is taking shape along tn
Jersey coast this year looking to the fina
realization of the long cherished dream o
an ocean front boulevard from Atlanta
Highlands to Seaside Park. The projec
will haye the support of the state roaC
department. which is thoroughly con
WINGED of the feasibility of the enterpris
and of the need of this great driveway
The contamination of the scheme will re
quire legislative action. There is already
an ocean front improved road most of thu
distance between these points, while abou
half of the southern end. of eight or ter
miles, from Bay Head to Seaside Park, Il
now being built, The balance of thu
road to Seaside Park, it is promised, will
be built next year. But there are severa
important gaps to be filed. These include
bridge over Deal Lake, by which de
tour of about quarter of mile inland
would be avoided. 1t is regarded as
strange that such bridge was not built
long ago. Possibly the danger of its
destruction by the sea in times of big
storms has been the lettering cause But,
it is believed that this danger could be
averted. or at least reduced to the mini
mum, by the construction of few jetties
along the sea front at that point
The worst snag that confronts the pro-
jectors of the boulevard, however, Is
presented by Ocean Grove, which has for
years obstinately refused to permit sea
front highway being opened from Asbury
Park into the sacred precints of that
resort. There is no present reason for
believing that this opposition has al
together abated, and it is probable that
legislative action will be necessary to
force open this gateway This will reopen
the old struggle that has several times
been fought out In the legislature between
the progressive friends of the boulevard
and the Ocean Grove association, which
persists on standing on It's rights and
maintaining the exclusive and retired
character of the place. Its contention has
been that if the ocean front driveway
were opened to public use it would
destroy the Sabbath quiet of the place and
its character as a reposeful religious
resort.
Practically the same problem is pre-
scented at the southern end of Ocean ave-
nue. In Ocean Grove, where Bradley Beach
begins. At this point vehicles are COM
PEELED to turn inland and go west nearly a
mile before they can resume their trip
down the coast. The filing of this gap
in the driveway will, of course, depend
on the result of the attempt to open
Ocean Grove to the boulevard from As
bury Park. The Ocean Grove association
controls both ends. If these snags are all
got out of the way the automobile or
driver comes next to Shark river.
at Avon, where bridge would be neces-
sary to get over to Belmar. This would
encounter rather more serious obstacles
than the bridge at Deal Beach, but they
are by no means insurmOuntable.
Engineers who have looked into the
matter say it would not be very difficult
TO build bridge across the Shark river
inlet at this point. The boulevard would
then continue by fine ocean front road
way. now in operation, through Belmar,
Como and Spring Lake to Sea Girt where
it turns inland and passes through Man
asquan and over the bridge across the
Manasquan river to Point Pleasant,
1t continues on to Bay Head
The project ultimately contemplates the
of an improved ocean front
highway from the point where it turns
westward at Sea Girt, straight on down
the beach to the Manasquan Inlet, where
another bridge would need to be built.
1t is not doubted that these plans will
all be carried out in the near future, when
New Jersey will have the finest, and most
sea front driveway in the
world. skirting the ocean all the way from
Atlantic Highlands to Seaside Park, dis
lance of about twenty five miles.
These arguments have heretofore pre-
vailed, and have led to the killing of the
bills introduced in the legislatuse to legal
lie the boulevard. Mr.. Tenbroeck. for
nerly mayor of Asbury Park, now de-
ceased, led the movement in behalf of the
measure several times with great energy,
md he was ably seconded by Senators
Bradley and Francis and the assemblymen
rom Monmouth county, but DR.. Stokes,
Dr.. Ballard, and the other high officials of
he Ocean Grove association always
proved too much for them. 1t is said that,
while the association is still opposed to
he boulevard proposal. it is less radical
md incorporating than in former years.