Skilled Nursing Facility Traffic Testimony to Continue Tonight

Testimony in the application for a skilled nursing facility will continue tonight as a traffic expert continues to address the proposed structure's impact to local roads.

Traffic engineer John Rea of Manasquan-based McDonough and Rea Associates but was unable to finish before the meeting concluded. Residents will have the opportunity to question Rea about his testimony at Thursday's meeting, 7 p.m. in auditorium.

Last month, Rea said that "there is no negative impact to the traffic flow in the area."

“There is no question that there are available adequate gaps in the traffic flow on Route 571, and sight distance is excellent,” he said. Rae said that cars entering and exiting the nursing facility would not add a large increase to the local traffic flow, even during peak traffic hours in the morning and afternoon.

This will be the sixth time that the application will appear before Manchester's Zoning Board of Adjustment, as the proposed $25 million Manchester Rehab Realty facility at 3086 Ridgeway Rd. was . Since then,  have spoken out against the application, which they fear may lower their quality of life and property values.

The meeting agenda is available online.