State To Pay To Repair Belmar Boulevard Bridge

The state has given Monmouth County $1 million to repair the bridge over a small inlet of the Shark River, according to a Department of Transportation release.

The small span , called County Bridge W-33, is located on Belmar Boulevard just west of Route 35 and it 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 the state, under the state's Local Aid program, the release says.

“This program has already enabled counties to remove 53 bridges from a list of nearly 290 bridges that were rated deficient, obsolete or otherwise in need of repair,” DOT Commissioner James Simpson said in the release. “These new grants will fund state-of-good-repair improvements for another 31 bridges, promoting safety and optimizing traffic flow.”

 All grant-eligible bridges are rated structurally deficient, functionally obsolete or scour-critical.  Scour refers to soil erosion around bridge abutments, wing walls or piers, the release says.

The grants are for construction costs only.  Seventy-five percent of a grant will be provided to a county upon contract award, with the balance provided upon project completion, the release says.

The county Freeholders recently acquired a permanent easement and temporary construction easement from a Belmar Boulevard property owner for $8,500 to complete the repairs, according to county records.

There was no word Friday on the degree of the construction on the span or when the project would begin.