Belmar Boulevard Bridge Construction On Schedule

County officials say construction on the tiny bridge over a portion of the Shark River on Belmar Boulevard will be completed by Memorial Day when summer traffic hits peak.

Bill Heine, county spokesman, said the $1.8 million bridge replacement on Belmar Boulevard near Route 35 is on schedule. The old bridge has been removed, the bulkhead replaced and the foundation is now under construction. Once that’s completed, the pre-cast new span will be put into place, Heine said.

County Bridge W-33, as the span is designated, is one of close to 300 bridges around the state that have made the repair list when the state Department of Transportation released $29 million to fix 31 New Jersey county-owned bridges across the state, under the state's Local Aid program.

The bridge has been closed since mid-December. Eastbound Belmar Boulevard traffic has been diverted onto Marconi Road and then onto Route 138. Westbound traffic is directed to Route 35 and to Route 138 west to Marconi Road and west on Belmar Boulevard.

“The county understands the inconvenience these detours will have on motorists and local residents,” John W. Tobia, director of the county’s Department of Public Works and Engineering, has said. “Unfortunately, this work cannot be completed without the closure of the bridge and road to vehicular traffic. Weather permitting, the project is to be completed in time for the Memorial Day weekend.”

The work is being done by the Mugrose Construction Inc. of West Caldwell. A contract in the amount of $1,838,682 was awarded by the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders on Aug.25.

“While the current bridge has served the traveling public well since 1945, it has had a 5-ton weight restriction for sometime,” Freeholder John P. Curley has said. “The new structure and other improvements should serve the local residents, commuters and visitors to southern Monmouth County for many decades.”