New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) spokesman Steve Schapiro’s recent claim that Ocean City took it upon themselves to operate the Route 52 Causeway lighting system without NJDOT’s awareness is as revealing as it is troubling. If true, it means that the state agency responsible for a $400 million bridge project failed to notice who was operating part of its own infrastructure for more than a decade.
That’s not a reflection on Ocean City; it’s an indictment of NJDOT’s oversight.
Ocean City’s residents and visitors have long appreciated the colorful lights that celebrated local victories, honored important causes and enlivened the gateway to the island.
The city’s handling of that system demonstrated exactly the kind of community engagement and responsiveness that state agencies often lack. Rather than penalizing Ocean City for a supposed procedural misstep, NJDOT should be asking itself why it didn’t know what was happening with its own installation.
Schapiro’s statement also glosses over a deeper issue: If the lighting system “did not meet its expected lifespan,” perhaps the problem lies not with Ocean City’s operation but with the system’s design. Equipment meant to last should not fail so quickly — and certainly not immediately after a $3 million “replacement project” this summer that already left the lights dark again.
That suggests not misuse, but mismanagement.
NJDOT’s record here doesn’t inspire confidence. Ocean City’s reasonable request for local control should be granted. The people who actually care about the lights — and have shown they can keep them meaningful to the community — are the ones best suited to operate them.
It’s time for NJDOT to admit that sometimes, the locals know better.
– Liz Casey, Beesleys Point
Photo Credit: offshoredrones
