All Route 72 Bridge lanes will remain open throughout summer construction

Photo by Ryan Morrill
The new bridge is being constructed parallel
to the existing structure.

The most obvious and visible work summer visitors and residents can expect to see on the $350 million Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project will be on the trestle bridges and their approaching roadways during the next few months, Daniel Triana, public information officer at the N.J. Department of Transportation, told The SandPaper in a recent update. Some traffic pattern changes may be necessary to complete the work, but two lanes will be maintained in each direction during peak hours. Any necessary lane closures will take place only during off-peak evening hours.

“Route 72 is vital to the tourist economy, and the normal complement of four travel lanes, two in each direction, will be maintained during construction in the summer months,” Triana said. “The centerpiece of this project involves the construction of a new $90 million bridge parallel to the existing one over Manahawkin Bay, providing the safety of a redundant route on or off the Island in the event that one of the bridges needs to be closed.

“The existing bay bridge, which is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete, will be closed and rehabilitated once the new bridge is built and opened to traffic,” he added. “This sequence will preserve the current two travel lanes in each direction during busy summer seasons. This project also will create inside and outside shoulders and a barrier-protected sidewalk along the north side of the existing bridge, providing safe access for pedestrians and bicyclists.”

Pier construction is complete, and the beams are being set for the new parallel bridge. Deck construction will begin shortly and continue throughout the summer.

Emergency work on the existing bridge structure was completed May 15 due to the discovery of a 6-foot-by-8-foot, irregularly shaped hole developing on the bridge deck. The right lane of the bridge was closed just west of Cedar Bonnet Island by NJDOT around 8:30 a.m. The roadway was repaired and reopened at approximately 5:30 p.m.

The emergency work was not related to the new bridge construction, Triana said. Construction is on schedule with no major deviations from the bridge work plan, he assured.

The project was started in 2013 and is expected to continue through 2020. The DOT is advising the public to slow down and pay attention while traveling through the construction zone.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.