Oceanic Bridge Replacement Plans Reveal New Changes For Rumson

RUMSON, NJ — New plans for the Oceanic Bridge replacement provide a closer look at proposed changes for people walking, biking and driving between Rumson and Middletown.

Monmouth County presented the plans Tuesday during a Public Information Center meeting for the Oceanic Bridge Replacement Project. The county is currently in the Local Preliminary Engineering phase, which began in April 2025 and is expected to be completed in fall 2027.

The presentation slides show the proposed bridge with travel lanes narrowed from 12 feet to 11 feet, while two 6-foot sidewalks would be replaced by a 14-foot shared-use path on the west side.

The bridge profile would also have a minor reduction in steepness on both approaches through a shallower superstructure design, which the county said would better accommodate cyclists and pedestrians.

On the Rumson side, the presentation boards detail three options being evaluated for connections to Victory Park.

Option A would carry a 14-foot path from Bingham Avenue to River Road and then to Victory Park. The plan would change some parking to angled spaces, resulting in the loss of five spaces and a change to a one-way driveway direction.

Option B would provide a narrower path from Bingham Avenue to Hunt Street to reduce impacts to the existing parking lot. The path would connect people to Hunt Street, which connects to Victory Park.

Option C would provide a path along the riverfront connecting to Washington Street. The bridge's shared-use path would be about 17 feet high at that location, requiring ramps to transition people from the bridge to the riverfront area. The county is considering several configurations: one would impact restaurant parking, another would impact private property and another would protrude into the river. Some configurations could be combined to allow people to cross Bingham Avenue under the bridge without crossing traffic and could also include a set of stairs.

The project's final design phase is anticipated to begin in spring 2028. A construction start date has not yet been determined.

Residents can submit written comments through Oct. 30. Comments can be emailed to MonmouthCountyOceanicBridge@gmail.com or submitted online at the Oceanic Bridge project website.

They can also be mailed to Michael Ruggiero, P.E., Principal Bridge Engineer/County Project Manager, Monmouth County Division of Engineering, Hall of Records Annex, 1 East Main Street, 3rd Floor, Freehold, NJ 07728.

The project team plans to post a meeting summary after the 30-day comment period.

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