Traffic Mess In Ocean: Route 37, Mantoloking Bridges Reopened

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Motorists in Ocean County were faced with a traffic mess on Saturday morning, as bridges to the barrier island were shut down in both Brick and Toms River for nearly an hour.

As of about 1 p.m., both the Route 37 bridges to and from Seaside Heights and the Mantoloking Bridge in Brick had been reopened, authorities said.

The troubles began about 11:30 a.m. The Ocean County Sheriff's Office said a serious motor vehicle accident had forced closure of Route 37 in both directions at Gary Lane, the last intersection before the Mathis and Tunney bridges. Both bridges were shut down for a time for a medevac helicopter landing, witnesses said.

As of about 12:30 p.m., the westbound lanes of Route 37 had reopened, and traffic eastbound into Seaside Heights was getting by in one lane, the Ocean County sheriff's office said.

No details were immediately available about the crash.

Meanwhile, in Brick, what would have been an alternate route to the beach was shut off when the Mantoloking Bridge got stuck in the open position. That bridge was reopened abot 12:45 p.m., Nixle alerts from the sheriff's office and Brick Township police said. Brick Sgt. Jim Kelly said the locks on the bridge got stuck.

This is a breaking news report and will be updated as information becomes available.