Toms River restaurant reopens day after Route 166 work forced it to close

TOMS RIVER - A popular Toms River eatery reopened early Tuesday after it was shut down unexpectedly Monday when ongoing work on Route 166 blocked the business's driveway.

Shut Up and Eat may have reopened, but owner Ann Gauthier was still unhappy with the traffic situation in front of her Main Street (Route 166) business.

"My driveway consists of three feet," Gauthier said Tuesday morning. She said dump trucks were parked in her parking lot and there was no sign designating the entrance or exits.

There is no entrance or exit designated for us without taking your life in your hands," Gauthier wrote in an email.

Gauthier said she arrived at her business early Monday morning to find the driveway blocked by cones. She said she had no advance warning that her driveway would be blocked off.

"In three hours, I had three customers," said Gauthier, whose business is located at 804 Main St. (Route 166). She eventually closed down for the day. Late on Monday, Gauthier said she was unsure if she would be able to reopen Tuesday.

The popular breakfast and lunch spot features eclectic decor and pajama-clad waitresses.

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Gauthier, like other business owners in the area, has struggled to deal with the ongoing construction project on Route 166, which began in March 2016.

"We've adjusted to it as best we could," Gauthier said.

But she said Monday was completely different. "I actually drove over the cones to get into my driveway," she said.

A DOT spokesman could not be reached for comment Monday.

The $11.8 million state-funded project to widen Route 166 from Old Freehold Road — south through the Route 37 intersection — to Colfax Street started in March 2016.

The work includes improvements to the jughandles between Route 166 and Route 37; traffic signal upgrades; the relocation of utilities such as gas lines; and improvements to drainage and sidewalks, which will include ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Council President Brian Kubiel, who drove by the restaurant shortly before 4 p.m. Monday, said it appeared that the state Department of Transportation's contractor was pouring a new asphalt driveway at Shut Up and Eat when he went by.

Kubiel said business owners have become frustrated by delays with the project.

"This never should have taken this long," Kubiel said. "Everybody is complaining about a loss of revenue."

Some council members fear the road work could discourage drivers from visiting downtown Toms River, right as the township is planning a massive redevelopment for the downtown area. Redevelopment plans can be seen in the video above.

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DOT officials have said they expect the project to be completed by late November, but late last month, Ocean County Administrator Carl W. Block said that the state informed the county government that it may need another year to complete the project.

That led Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari, the county's tourism liaison, to suggest installing road signs near the intersection that would make it clear that the county is not responsible for construction delays.

Toms River officials are taking a less confrontational approach so far.

Kubiel on March 27 asked Murphy to "intercede" on the township's behalf, to make sure the work is completed this year.

Murphy has made improving the state's aging infrastructure one of his goals (watch him talk about plans to rebuild NJ Transit in the video above).

The work was halted between July and October 2016 after then-Gov. Chris Christie ordered a shutdown of the Transportation Trust Fund over a dispute with the state Senate about an increase in the gasoline tax.

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“Because of the shutdown, New Jersey Natural Gas moved on to other work and only restarted its work in the summer of 2017,” state DOT spokesman Matthew D. Saidel told the Asbury Park Press last month. “This caused a change to the overall project schedule, because the gas work needed to be completed prior to water utility relocation and beginning other roadwork.”

That utility relocation is nearly complete. Construction crews currently are widening the southbound side of Route 166, which is expected to be completed in late spring, the spokesman said.

After that, work crews will widen the northbound side and move on to the construction of the center barrier. The expectation remains that the project will be completed at the end of this year, Saidel said.

Jean Mikle: 732-643-4050, @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com

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