Letter from Fernandez and Shehady to the Department of Transportation on behalf of Springfield Hurricane Irene Victims

Springfield Township Committeeman Jerry Fernandez and I have spoken with countless residents who have been affected by the flooding from Hurricane Irene. As a result of these conversations, we felt it was necessary to reach out to the New Jersey Department of Transportation and our State representatives. Someone needs to stand up for Springfield and its residents.  On Friday, September 2nd, after the Hurricane Irene Briefing & Dinner held at the Sarah Bailey Civic Center, we immediately sent this letter to the Commissioner and our legislators.

September 2, 2011

The Honorable James S. Simpson
New Jersey Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 600
Trenton, New Jersey 08625

Dear Commissioner Simpson:

We write to you regarding a matter of tremendous importance and urgency for the Township of Springfield in Union County.  As you are no doubt aware, Hurricane Irene caused damage throughout our state and its effects are greatly varied.  In Springfield, our residents suffered horribly from the flooding that occurred as a result of the heavy rainfall.  However, one particular area of our town in the vicinity of New Jersey Routes 124 and 82 was badly affected.  What occurred during the storm was unexpected, unreasonable and confusing for many Township officials and residents.  Heavy rainfalls in the past that either compare to Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Floyd or other long storms have not produced nearly the same effects as was seen last week.  Springfield residents living on side streets along Morris Avenue west of Union Township have had their homes destroyed and their lives disrupted because of massive flooding, surges and powerful currents.

No one can definitively explain how this happened as quickly as it did, but we suspect several factors may have contributed to this phenomenon and we seek the assistance of the Department of Transportation to investigate and rectify any problems in order to prevent such a disaster in the future and offer answers to those who so desperately want to understand what happened.

As a body of water that runs throughout Springfield, the Rahway River is an obvious culprit.  However, it seems its flow was obstructed by the Morris Avenue bridge located near Washington Avenue.  As a former Mayor and a present Township Committeeman, we understand that a project had been slated years ago to raise this bridge.  Unfortunately, it is our belief that this project is long overdue and behind schedule.  We cannot help but think that if the project was completed, the water would not have been diverted into residential areas and a catastrophe could have been avoided.  A contributing factor that may have resulted in an unusual amount of flowing in the Rahway River is the possibility that neighboring Millburn opened up their floodgates prior to the storm.

Additionally, the New Jersey section of Interstate 78 runs just north of the impacted area.  Many people familiar with the construction and improvement of I-78 know that the drainage system must be maintained regularly and cleared of any obstacles or sediment.  Unfortunately, we believe that this has not been happening as it should and so an even distribution of water flow did not occur.

We respectfully ask for a meeting as soon as possible so that we can explain further and learn what steps the Department of Transportation will be taking to resolve these problems.  Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.  Committeeman Jerry Fernandez can be reached by telephone at 908-868-0988 or jerry.fernandez@springfield-nj.us and Ziad Andrew Shehady can be reached by telephone at 973-388-8187 or zas@zashehady.com

Sincerely,

Jerry Fernandez        
Township Committeeman, Township of Springfield

Ziad Andrew Shehady
Former Mayor, Township of Springfield

cc: Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr., Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz