Cedar Bonnet Island Project Earns Federal Environmental Award

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — Drivers waited for years on Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge repairs. Part of that project went toward environmental and habitat restoration.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation's Cedar Bonnet Island Habitat Restoration and Management plan received national recognition for "environmental excellence."

The Federal Highway Administration selected the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges - Cedar Bonnet Island Habitat Restoration and Management Plan Project for its 2019 Environmental Excellence Awards.

As part of the $312 million, federally funded Manahawkin Bay Bridges project, NJDOT and US Fish and Wildlife Services created an environmental trail providing public access to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on Cedar Bonnet Island. The approach helped improve Barnegat Bay water quality while meeting DEP Stormwater Management rules, according to NJDOT.

Mitigation work on Cedar Bonnet Island cost $9.6 million in federal and state funding, according to NJDOT. Work began in February 2015 before the trail opened to the public in June 2018.

It includes a 1-mile walking patch with pedestrian benches, two gazebo overlooks with picnic tables and interpretive signs providing info on the ecosystem along the path. The project featured wetlands creation, mitigation for existing freshwater wetlands and modification of two existing storm water basins in the Barnegat Bay watershed.

This was the first time stormwater gravel wetlands were constructed on an NJDOT project. The approach helped NJDOT exceed the water-treatment requirements of the SWM rules, reduce construction and maintenance costs and accelerate the construction schedule.

During the project, endangered peregrine falcons were found nesting under the bridge. Officials designed a permanent peregrine falcon nest on a wooden tower next to the new Causeway to provide habitat for the rare birds.

The Causeway Bridge project became fully usable shortly before Memorial Day weekend, NJDOT announced in May. Read more: The Wait Is Over: The Manahawkin Bay Bridge Is Fully Open

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