Oceanic Bridge Replacement Public Meeting Set For September 29

RUMSON, NJ — Residents will get a closer look this month at plans to replace the Oceanic Bridge, a major link between Rumson and Middletown that dates to 1939.

A public information center is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 29, in the courtroom at Middletown Town Hall, 1 Kings Highway, according to a Borough of Rumson announcement.

Subscribe

The meeting will focus on the preliminary engineering phase. Property owners, community stakeholders and members of the public who provided mailing addresses during the earlier concept-development study will receive notices.

The Monmouth County-led project would replace the bridge carrying County Route 8A over the Navesink River and improve its roadway approaches. Officials say the bridge has structural and functional limitations that do not meet current design standards or transportation needs.

The preliminary engineering phase began in spring 2025 and was projected to be completed in late spring 2027, according to a February project information sheet. Final design and construction would follow, with federal funding and oversight from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority.

An August update said the project team planned to share enhancements to its preliminary preferred alternative, including a waterfront recreation area and fishing pier within the footprint of the existing Middletown bridge approach.

Environmental work underway includes wetlands, hazardous-waste, wildlife, noise, socioeconomic, cultural-resource and air-quality studies.

The August update said the meeting would be offered both in person and virtually. However, the text of Rumson's latest webpage lists only the in-person location and does not provide online-access instructions.

The project team thanked residents for their "continued support and participation in this important bridge replacement project."

Have a correction or news tip? Email dani.sepe@patch.com.