New Jersey Sen. Jim Holzapfel plans to introduce a bill requiring restaurants with outdoor seating beside roads to install barriers between diners and traffic. The move follows a car crash at Meg’s Grill in Lavallette that killed Ursula Keating and injured several others.
Holzapfel’s office expects to produce a draft in two to three weeks. The driver, a 93-year-old woman, allegedly mistook the gas pedal for the brake. Meg’s Grill has reopened; owner Meghan Michaux said she would be the first to install bollards if the state permits them on Route 35.
Lavallette will continue allowing outdoor dining through the season’s scheduled end next week and does not expect to require local barriers. Mayor Walter LaCicero said a state law would supersede the borough’s ordinance. New Jersey made outdoor dining permanent in December 2024.
