Belmar Boulevard Bridge Will Not Open For Memorial Day

The Belmar Boulevard bridge that has been closed since late last year will not open for Memorial Day weekend as expected, county officials said late Monday.

An inordinate amount of rain over the past several weeks has put a damper on plans to have re-open the span that intersects with Route 35. The bridge has been closed since December, forcing detours through a residential neighborhood and out onto Route 138.

"We've had an unusual amount of rain over the past three to four weeks and that has pushed this thing back,'' Monmouth County spokesman Bill Heine said. "We were hoping that this week would be the big push, but it looks like the weather isn't cooperating.''

Inclement weather has pushed back the opening for one to two weeks, Heine said.

"Certainly this is a big weekend for people to be able to get to the beach,'' Heine said. "But fortunately there's Route 138 nearby, so the detours in place are going to have to continue for a little while longer.''

The project was on schedule in late March when officials said , when the span is in its greatest demand for the summer season. 

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.

It is a , which will be within budget, Heine said.

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.