Rt. 72 W Lane To Periodically Reopen On Old Causeway Bridge

MANAHAWKIN, N.J. — Officials reopened the second lane of Route 72 westbound on the reconstructed Old Causeway Bridge amid the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project.

Although the lane reopened, the New Jersey Department of Transportation's contractor will occasionally close a single lane for final paving. That will take place over the next month from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, NJDOT said.

Officials will open two lanes of westbound traffic on weekends, NJDOT said. Eastbound traffic will remain on the New Causeway Bridge, according to officials. NJDOT expects paving to be complete with the normal two lanes of traffic in each direction before Memorial Day.

Work on the $312 million Route 72/Manahawkin Bay Bridge project began in 2013 and is expected to continue through 2021, NJDOT said. The causeway links Stafford with Ship Bottom.

The next major part of the project, expected to begin in 2020, addresses safety and operational issues on the Route 72/Marsha Drive intersection in Stafford, NJDOT said. NJDOT will also begin operational and drainage improvements in Ship Bottom.

Two-way traffic will be restored along Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard, and traffic signals along 8th and 9th Streets (Route 72) will be improved, according to NJDOT.

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