UPDATE: Belmar Boulevard Bridge Is Open

UPDATE 5:22 p.m.: More than six months in the works and three weeks behind schedule, the tiny unnamed bridge over a portion of the Shark River inlet on Belmar Boulevard is finally open, township officials said.

The Belmar Boulevard bridge, closed since December, opened at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Mayor Jeff Foster said.

Foster credited the county Public Works for putting up the proper guardrails and finishing off the job, which was supposed to have been done by Memorial Day.

"It's all set now so there are no more detours,'' Foster said.

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3:50 p.m. UPDATE: Closed since Decmeber, the tiny Belmar Boulevard bridge without a name is slated to open Friday night -- three weeks behind schedule.

Monmouth County Spokeswoman Laura Kirkpatrick said the bridge will be open Friday evening. She could not give a specific time.

Kirkpatrick also could not confirm information that the contractor -- Mugrose Construction Inc. of West Caldwell -- was being fined $1,000 a day since Memorial Day for not having the project completed on time. That information came Wednesday from Wall Mayor Jeffrey Foster.

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UPDATE: As of 10:30 a.m. Friday, the Belmar Boulevard bridge is still closed, the detour signs are still up and workers are still busily attending to the site.

A call on Thursday requesting comment from county spokesman Bill Heine has not been returned.

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The Belmar Boulevard bridge – a tiny span over a portion of the Shark River so small it doesn’t even really have a name – may be open as early as Friday, officials said.

The bridge – designated only as County Bridge W-33 -- has been shut since December. The replacement of the span was supposed to be complete by Memorial Day. But despite one of the driest winter seasons on record, county officials on May 21 said the spring rains had pushed the completion date back one to two weeks.

It’s been three.

Bill Heine, county spokesman, said on Wednesday the bridge is slated to open this weekend, or early next week at the latest.

“We’re very close,’’ Heine said. “But the weather continues to give us some problems.’’

That’s not all that is giving the project problems, according to Wall Township Mayor Jeffrey Foster.

Foster said he also spoke with county officials on Wednesday who said the contractor -- Mugrose Construction Inc. of West Caldwell -- was being fined $1,000 a day since Memorial Day for not having the project completed on time.

“It’s a good thing it didn’t snow this winter,’’ Foster said.

County officials were unavailable Wednesday night for confirmation on the fines, which could reach more than $20,000 on the $1.8 million project.

The bridge is one of close to 300 bridges that have made the state's repair list, according to the release.

The DOT released $29 million to fix 31 New Jersey county-owned bridges across New Jersey, under the state's Local Aid program.