Arsonists’ Fire Could Cost $3.5 Million in Damage to the Garden State Parkway
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January 25, 2022Arsonists’ Fire Could Cost $3.5 Million in Damage to the Garden State Parkway
On Tuesday, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority granted two $3.5 million emergency contracts for damage assessment and repairs to the Garden State Parkway culvert that was damaged by arson last week.
McCormick Taylor Inc., a civil engineering firm based in Mount Laurel, was granted a $500,000 contract to assess and design repairs for the 66-inch-diameter culvert that spans 300 feet beneath the Parkway's southbound and northbound lanes near Exit 91 in Brick. According to Turnpike Authority resolutions, a second contract for $3 million was issued to Joseph M. Sanzari Inc., a Hackensack-based construction company, to clear up the debris left by the fire and make permanent repairs to the culvert. According to Thomas Feeney, a spokesman for the Turnpike Authority, the repairs will not need the route to be closed. Additional information regarding the fire and the damage it caused can be found in the contract award resolutions.The incident, which was reported just after 5 p.m. on Jan. 19, caused billowing smoke, forcing police to close both lines of traffic around 5:15 p.m., according to Feeney. He claimed the road reopened to traffic about 3 a.m. on Jan. 20, nearly 10 hours later.
Firefighters attempted to put out the fire from both ends of the culvert, through access covers to storm water treatment systems, according to the contract award resolutions.
According to the paper, the fire was finally put out after firemen sealed both ends of the culvert and sprayed firefighting foam into the system through the median access covers. According to the documents, the fire was declared extinguished at 2 a.m. on Jan. 20.
The incident was ruled an arson by New Jersey State Police. They're seeking for the public's help in identifying a group of persons who lit the fire and then fled from the culvert into the Evergreen Woods Park apartment complex adjacent, according to state police. Authorities have not revealed what caused the fire. The culvert was constructed during the Parkway's initial construction in the mid-1950s, according to Feeney, and the liner, which he described as a resin that adhered to the concrete's surface, was installed years later.According to the contract award, the fire destroyed the culvert liner and caused considerable damage to parts of the original culvert surface, as well as the connected stormwater drainage system and treatment equipment.
The contract award stated, "The highway above looks to be in satisfactory condition, however, Maintenance staff continues to examine the roadway for symptoms of deflection." The authority chose Sanzari Inc. for the emergency work because they could start teams working right away and had recently completed a challenging culvert repair project at Milepost 117.4 on the Parkway, according to the authority. They were brought in to clear the debris and clean the culvert, and would then construct the repairs after a thorough inspection and assessment. The Turnpike Authority has a contract with McCormick Taylor Inc., but the work to be done is "not included in the initial scope of services," according to the contract award. Sanzari will construct the repairs once the firm inspects and assesses the culvert and connecting drainage system. The contract award stated, "This work is being expedited in order to make permanent repairs to the culvert and drainage system as soon as possible."
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