Second lane in each direction on Causeway Bridges reopens in April

Photo by Ryan Morrill
On-going construction on the northside of
the bridges will be completed in February.

Two lanes in each direction will be restored in the Route 72 Causeway Bridge construction area when work on the north side is completed in April, said Stephen Schapiro, New Jersey Department of Transportation communications director.

The center median temporarily removed on the last bridge heading onto Long Beach Island will also be reinstated at that time. This is good news for those who are concerned for their safety while driving through the area, where a head-on car collision occurred after the Ship Bottom Christmas Parade on Dec. 5.

However, traffic will be shifted to the north side of the bridges with work commencing on the south side in February.

To alert drivers about the road conditions, the DOT has added a few additional safety components, including signs indicating that in some areas left turns cannot be made, or there is a hidden driveway.

“The department also added signs to alert LBI traffic that Route 72 westbound is a single lane, and we have added VMS boards on Route 72 eastbound to alert oversize loads entering LBI to contact the police before proceeding, due to narrow lanes,” Schapiro said.

No work is anticipated on the project on Christmas and New Year’s Day. But bridge work may persist between the holidays behind barriers on a closed portion of the roadway, where there is no effect on traffic, said Schapiro. The DOT is expected to restrict lane closures between Thursday, Dec. 24 at 6 a.m. through Monday, Dec. 28 at noon and from Thursday, Dec. 31 at 6 a.m. to Monday, Jan. 4 at noon.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.