Traffic at national park has cost ‘hundreds of thousands’ dollars in overtime, say local officials

Summer traffic at the Jersey Shore is not a new problem, but the situation at Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook is putting an unfair burden on Monmouth County towns, according to local officials.

Highlands mayor Carolyn Broullon said the borough has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on overtime over the past five years for police to address traffic that backs up into the town from Gateway National Recreation Area.

On Friday, she resorted to a social media post calling for the public’s assistance in raising awareness and attention to the traffic issue.

“I’m asking all Highlanders to write to the Gateway National Recreation Area about how their mismanagement of the toll area is impacting our town and creating an Emergency Service nightmare,” Broullon wrote on…