Texas

Texas — latest news, discussion & facts — IJR

History

The first inhabitants of the area known as Old Bridge were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. Those who settled in Old Bridge and other parts of Central Jersey were known as the Unami, or "people down the river." They migrated to the shore along the Raritan each summer from their hunting grounds in the north. When the English gained control from the Dutch in 1664, the state was divided into two provinces, East Jersey and West Jersey. In 1683, the general assembly of East Jersey defined the boundaries of Middlesex County and the three other original counties (Bergen, Essex and Monmouth) as containing all plantations on both sides of the Raritan River, as far as Cheesequake Harbor to the east, then southwest to the Provincial line, with the southwest line being the border of Monmouth and Middlesex counties and the Township's southern border.

Thomas Warne, one of the original 24 proprietors of East Jersey, was listed as a landowner of this area, and his son is said to have been the earliest European resident residing in the Cheesequake area in 1683. John and Susannah Brown were granted a 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) land grant from the King of England in 1737. They called the area Brownville, and this part of township is still known as Browntown.

In 1684, South Amboy Township was formed. At that time, it covered an area that now consists of the Townships of Monroe and Old Bridge, the Borough of Sayreville and the City of South Amboy. The Township covers 42 square miles (110 km2) that separated from South Amboy on March 2, 1869, and was originally called Madison Township. In 1975, the name was changed by referendum to the Township of Old Bridge. The purpose was to establish a single postal designation and ZIP code for the township and to differentiate the township from the Borough of Madison in Morris County. The community of Old Bridge in East Brunswick derives its name from the fact that the first bridge spanning the South River was built there, and as other bridges were built across the river the first one became known as "the Old Bridge."

Local government

Old Bridge Township is governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government. The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The Township Council is comprised of nine members, with six elected to represent wards and three elected at-large from the township as a whole in partisan elections held as part of the November general election in odd-numbered years. All elected officials serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with the six ward seats up for election together and the three at-large seats and the mayoral seat up for vote together two years later.

As of 2024, the Mayor of Old Bridge Township is Republican Eleanor "Debbie" Walker, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. The members of the Township Council are Council President Mary Rita Sohor (R, 2027; At Large), Council Vice-President Anita Greenberg-Belli (R, 2027; At-Large), Darin Accettulli (R, 2029; Ward 2), Erik DePalma (R, 2027; At Large), Kiran Desai (D, 2029; Ward 3), David Merwin (D, 2029; Ward 1), Anthony Paskitti (R, 2029; Ward 5), and Mark Razzoli (R, 2029; Ward 4), and Carl Von Stetten (R, 2029; Ward 6).

Darin Accettulli was appointed to fill the Wars 2 seat expiring in December 2025 that had been held by Erik DePalma, until he took office as an at-large councilmember. Accettulli will serve on an interim basis until the November 2024 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

Republican Mark Razzoli had been behind Democrat Jill DeCaro by 11 votes at the November 2021 general election for the seat in Ward 4. In December 2021, the results were invalidated after it was confirmed that dozens of residents had received incorrect ballots that had voters casting ballots in the incorrect ward. In a March 2022 special election, DeCaro was elected over Razzoli by an 838 to 693 margin.

In January 2020, the Township Council selected Erik DePalma from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the Second Ward seat expiring in December 2021 that became vacant when Mary Sohor resigned to take office after taking office to an at-large seat.

In June 2016, the Township Council appointed June Dungee to fill the vacant Third Ward seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Reginald Butler until his death earlier that month; Dungee served until the November 2016 general election, when voters choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

The Old Bridge Municipal Court has authority over misdemeanor cases related to traffic violations, criminal offenses, and local ordinance violations that occur within Old Bridge Township.

Transportation

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 222.24 miles (357.66 km) of roadways, of which 179.32 miles (288.59 km) were maintained by the municipality, 24.41 miles (39.28 km) by Middlesex County and 16.65 miles (26.80 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 1.86 miles (2.99 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The township is crisscrossed by many major roads and highways.

The Garden State Parkway passes through Old Bridge for about 1.9 miles (3.1 km), connecting Aberdeen in Monmouth County to the south and Sayreville to the north and houses Interchange 120, which is signed for Laurence Harbor / Matawan.

Other routes, such as U.S. Route 9, Route 18, Route 34 and Route 35 also pass through the township. Major county routes that pass through are County Road 516, County Road 520, County Road 527 and County Road 615.

The New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) is minutes north along Route 18 outside the township in bordering East Brunswick (Exit 9) and not too far away in bordering Monroe Township (Exit 8A).

For busing, Old Bridge Park & Ride is located along U.S. Route 9 northbound, close to Ernston Road.

NJ Transit Bus Operations provides bus service to communities along U.S. Route 9 from Lakewood to Old Bridge, via bus routes 131, 133, 134, 135, 138, and 139 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, service to Newark on the 67, on the 64 and 68 to Jersey City and local service on the 817 and 818 routes. Bus service is available from U.S. Route 9 to Wall Street in New York's Financial District via the Academy Bus Line.

Middlesex County Area Transit shuttles provide service on routes operating across the county, including the M3 route, which operates between Brunswick Square Mall and Old Bridge and the M7 route between Brunswick Square Mall and South Amboy.

Old Bridge borders Matawan on Route 34, and the Aberdeen-Matawan Train Station, and it also borders South Amboy on U.S. Route 9, and the South Amboy Train Station, both located along the North Jersey Coast Line. Old Bridge is also close to the New Brunswick train station in nearby New Brunswick and Metropark in nearby Iselin on the Northeast Corridor Line.

Old Bridge Airport is a general aviation facility located 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the central business district. The closest commercial airport is Newark Liberty International Airport, which is about 23 miles (37 km) (about 32 minute drive) from the center of Old Bridge Township.

Emergency services

Old Bridge maintains a full-time police department consisting of 90 sworn personnel divided into multiple bureaus. The police department handles approximately 50,000 to 55,000 calls for service each year.

Administration Bureau: Chief of Police. Police radio, computer, 9-1-1, and dispatch operations. Training, scheduling etc.

Patrol Bureau: First responders for calls of service, motor vehicle crash investigators, motor vehicle and criminal law enforcement, road construction, special operations.

Traffic Safety Bureau: All traffic enforcement, road construction planning, commuter lot parking enforcement, state funded grants (i.e.:seatbelt enforcement, mobile phone enforcement, child seat, pedestrian etc.) serious and fatal motor vehicle crash investigations, large scale lane closings for events or crashes, road striping, traffic sign replacement and repair, ATV details, special events. Security of impounded vehicles.

Detective Bureau: Investigates all serious offenses and crimes, serious and fatal motor vehicle crash investigations, plain clothes operations. Works closely with FBI, United States Secret Service, Alcoholic Beverage Control and other federal agencies.

Identification Bureau: Works in conjunction with the detective bureau, documents all serious crime scenes, photography for crime scenes and fatal/serious motor vehicle crashes, fingerprinting, evidence collection, processing and storing, civilian background checks, Megans Law enforcement, firearms application investigating and processing.

Narcotics Bureau: All drug- and alcohol-related investigations, undercover operations, surveillance, liaisons with Prosecutors office, special operations, raids. Keeps a close relationship with the DEA.

Fire Arms Unit: Officers trained in qualifying and training all police personnel in weapons systems. This unit repairs and maintains firearms, gear and schedules all state mandated firearms training for the officers. Orders ammunition and supplies related to officer gear.

Special Operations: Department of Homeland Security liaisons, Laurence Harbor and Cliffwood Beach boardwalk and beachfront details, anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism training, covert operations.

Police Garage: Mechanics trained in police vehicle repair, wiring, maintenance, storage of impounded vehicles.

Auxiliary Police: Patrol in marked cars and uniform. They augment the regular officers while on patrol. Auxiliary officers provide additional security for events and details, parade traffic assistance, township fairs, carnivals, benefit functions etc. These officers fall under the Office of Emergency Management section of the township and are all volunteers, receiving no paychecks for their services.

Special police officers: Most of these "special" employees are classified as Class I officers. They provide security at parks and recreation areas, conduct crowd control and are frequently used on court days to handle prisoners. They also serve as another set of eyes and ears for the patrol bureau. Class II officers are also employed in the township. Class II police officers are armed and hold the same powers as officers within the patrol bureau while they are on duty.

Old Bridge is divided into four fire districts:

Fire District 1: Laurence Harbor Fire Department, established in 1924 and operating out of two stations.

Fire District 2: Cheesequake Volunteer Fire Company, with Station 1 at 113 Route 34, Station 2 at 4290 Route 516 and Station 3 at 3080 Route 516.

Fire District 3: South Old Bridge Volunteer Fire Company, established in 1947 and operating out of three stations, with Engine Company 1 located at 958 Englishtown Road, Engine Company 2 at 14 Throckmorton Lane and Engine Company 3 at 1599 Englishtown Road.

Fire District 4: Madison Park Volunteer Fire Company, organized in 1956.

Each of the above have several different fire houses with adequate equipment and trucks to handle any and all situations that arise within the township or surrounding towns.

Old Bridge is equipped for:

HAZMAT

Tower rescue

Water rescue/ice rescue

Heavy Duty rescue

General search and rescue

Wildland firefighting

Trench rescue

Old Bridge is divided into five districts each with a volunteer first aid squad. Numerous ambulances are in service for the community. A paid squad is employed between the hours of 6am to 6pm. A majority of all the volunteer squads are defunct.

Cheesequake Volunteer First Aid Squad, formed in 1969 (Defunct in 2021).

Laurence Harbor Volunteer First Aid Squad, established in 1927 and serving the areas of Laurence Harbor, Cliffwood Beach, Genoa, Cheesequake State Park, Cheesequake Village and Ellen Heath

Madison Park Volunteer First Aid Squad, formed in 1959 (Defunct as of 2023)

Old Bridge First Aid and Rescue Squad (nicknamed "Red & White" due to the color of their ambulances) (Defunct as of 2023)

Old Bridge Volunteer Emergency Medical Services (nicknamed "Green & White" due to the color of their ambulances) (Defunct as of 2023)

Old Bridge Township Emergency Medical Services (OBTEMS) is the municipal paid service which covers daytime hours 6am–6pm.

Advanced Life Support, also known as medics, are paid personnel dispatched to all township calls based on the requirements of assistance. Medics respond to all life/death situations due to a traumatic injury, industrial accident, heart problems, strokes, serious vehicle crashes, etc. The medics are housed by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Saint Peter's University Hospital and Raritan Bay Medical Center. Each are assigned their own ambulance.

Community and historical information

CPS Madison Industries Superfund Site has been identified as the 14th-worst Superfund site in the United States. That area is fenced off along Waterworks Road, near Cheesequake Road. This area has one chemical plant still operating, Old Bridge Chemical. A former plant, Ciba Chemical closed several years ago and a bulk of the plant was demolished, only the office building remains.

Many small ponds in the area are remnants of clay pits dug in the 19th century, as clay was a major industry. The Perrine clay pit was located near Route 9 and Ernston Road.

The Runyon coal yards were located off Bordentown Avenue and Cheesequake Road, at the site of Stavola Asphalt Construction Company (formerly Manzos Contracting). Rail cars at this yard were used to transport their loads to the South Amboy docks, where the coal was shipped to New York City.

Pilings of former docks can be found by foot traversing Steamboat Landing Road, also known as Dock Road, which is the extension of Cottrell Road at its intersection of Route 34.

The Ochwald Brickworks, now the site of Bridgepointe Development in Laurence Harbor, began operation in 1910 and continued operation into the early 1960s. Behind the Bridgepointe Development and far into the woodline and field, old bricks can still be found.

The Kepec Chemical Company in the Genoa section (off County Road) is where Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were reported to have contacted Russian spies in 1950. The FBI conducted surveillance of the building at the intersection of Biondi Avenue and Gordon Street. Only a few bricks remain to mark this location at the foot of Columbus Avenue.

A mass grave in the Ernst Memorial Cemetery off Ernston Road holds the remains of over a dozen unidentified victims of the T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion of 1918. This plant exploded in the Morgan section of neighboring Sayreville, killing an estimated 100 persons. Shock waves were felt as far north as Newark.

A horse-racing track used to be located where present day Lakeridge development now stands (near the border with Matawan Borough.)

A circular car racing track (early 1950s to approximately 1982) used to be located off County Route 516 where the Whispering Pines Development is now. No visible trace remains.

Cheesequake State Park, one of the oldest in the country, opening on June 22, 1940, covers 1,274 acres (516 ha), partially located in Old Bridge. Located near the Garden State Parkway exit 120, Route 34 and Route 35, the park is often crowded by sunbathers, picnics, concert goers (nearby PNC Bank Arts Center) and tourists.

A Cold War-era Nike missile base is located off U.S. Route 9 on Jake Brown Road. Listed in Weird NJ as a haunted site, readers frequent this area and explore the fields where former base worker residences once stood. The actual base was purchased by the Old Bridge Township Public Schools for use as storage. The former underground silos and tunnels were purposely flooded and caved in when the base was closed.

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, a racetrack that had hosted Funny Car and drag racing including the NHRA Summernationals, is located off Englishtown Road near the township's border with Manalapan and Monroe. As part of a January 2018 reorganization, the facility announced that it will no longer be holding drag racing events, retaining kart and motocross races, as well as car shows and concerts.

On September 3, 1977, the Grateful Dead performed for a crowd of 100,000 at Raceway Park. The show was recorded and released in album form as part of "Dick's Picks", a series of live albums, in 1999.

The heavy metal band Metallica relocated from Los Angeles to the township in the early 1980s to record the songs on what would be their debut album Kill 'Em All.

Texas

Texas

Article

Notable quotes

Related journals

Live room · 1 here

Notable quotes

Article

History

Geography

Major streams/rivers

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Old mill streams

Clay industry

Apple farms

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Politics

Education

Infrastructure

Transportation

Healthcare

Emergency services

Township attractions

Community and historical information

Notable people

Related journals

About Texas

About Texas

Article

Notable quotes

Related journals

Live room · 1 here

Notable quotes

Article

History

Geography

Major streams/rivers

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Old mill streams

Clay industry

Apple farms

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Politics

Education

Infrastructure

Transportation

Healthcare

Emergency services

Township attractions

Community and historical information

Notable people

Related journals