Loveland Town Bridge Set To Reopen In Point Pleasant

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — At about noon Saturday, drivers who want to get to Bay Head from Point Pleasant will be able to go straight on Bridge Avenue across the Point Pleasant Canal, as the bridge connecting the two towns reopens.

The state Department of Transportation on Friday said repairs to the bridge, also known as the Loveland Town Bridge, are expected to be finished and all barriers removed by about noon.

The bridge was closed in both directions on Jan. 5 for what the NJDOT called priority repairs. The support cables were being tightened "to ensure the continued proper and safe operation of the bridge, which was built in 1971," NJDOT said.

There is more work to be done on the bridge and along Bridge Avenue in the spring, state officials said.

The right lane on Bridge Avenue in both directions is scheduled to be closed between Bay Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard/Rue Lido for concrete curb repairs. After the curb work is completed the road will be repaved and restriped.

Lane closure information will be announced ahead of time, the NJDOT said.

In an update Wednesday, Point Pleasant officials said the work on the bridge began Jan. 9 with the installation of jacking towers at the east and west abutments of the bridge. They were later removed.

The support cables were replaced and tightened, and the contractor was doing a final cleaning and greasing of the lift cables and sheaves midweek leading up to Friday's announcement, borough officials said. They said the checks also included strain gauge testing, and that final counterweight adjustments for bridge balancing will be completed in the next week, along with removal of equipment.

"The Borough of Point Pleasant thanks the NJ Department of Transportation for working as quickly as possible on this necessary project and we thank all of our residents and surrounding communities for their patience over the last two months," Point Pleasant officials said.