Route 22 Ramp Reopens After 6-Month Closure Due To Ida Storm Damage

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — After six months of emergency repairs, the Route 22 ramp at Chimney Rock Road has reopened on Friday.

The repairs stem from damage caused by Hurricane Ida to the bridge supporting Route 22 east over Middle Brook in Bridgewater.

On Sept. 1, 2021, floodwaters from the Middle Brook river rushed over and below Route 22 near Thompson Avenue causing a retaining wall collapse and destabilization of the roadway, including damage to utility poles and a sanitary sewer main.

At the very same location, the storm also took the life of Malathi Kanche of Raritan. Kanche went missing when she was driving back from Rutgers University on the night of Sept. 1, 2021, with her daughter. Flash flood waters overwhelmed her car as she was passing by Route 22 in front of the Lexus dealership in Bridgewater. Kanche did not know how to swim and was swept away.

Since the storm, the New Jersey Department of Transportation had to rebuild a new retaining wall on the southwest corner of the Route 22 Bridge over Middle Brook.

"There is still work remaining to rebuild the sidewalk and concrete parapet, as well as replace the black metal railing," said NJDOT Spokesman Stephen Schapiro.

Aesthetic wall panels will also be installed on the side of the bridge that are only visible from the adjacent properties, but not the highway. This work is expected to be completed by the summer, said Schapiro.

"In the brook itself, the Department will be restoring the scour countermeasures that will help prevent erosion. This work should be completed by the end of the summer," said Schapiro. "All of the remaining work is off of the roadway and should not have any impact to traffic."

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