Belmar Boulevard Bridge Construction To Begin Today

Traffic will be diverted away near the intersection of Belmar Boulevard and Route 35 for a bridge project slated to begin Monday.

And get used to it. It won’t open again until May, officials say.

The small bridge that crosses a portion of the Shark River will be replaced over the next five months, as part of a $1 million project that is set to begin today. Construction is slated to be complete by Memorial Day Weekend, officials say.

County Bridge W-33, as the span is designated, is one of close to 300 bridges around the state that have made the repair list when the state Department of Transportation released $29 million to fix 31 New Jersey county-owned bridges across the state, under the state's Local Aid program.

Eastbound Belmar Boulevard traffic will be diverted onto Marconi Road and then onto Route 138. Westbound traffic should follow Route 35 and to Route 138 west to Marconi Road and west on Belmar Boulevard.

“I live on that section of town and I drive Belmar Boulevard, not everday, but a lot and I’m not excited about it,’’ said Committeeman Clinton Hoffman.

But the bridge is in disrepair and must be replaced, county officials said.

“The county understands the inconvenience these detours will have on motorists and local residents,” said John W. Tobia, director of the county’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “Unfortunately, this work cannot be completed without the closure of the bridge and road to vehicular traffic. Weather permitting, the project is to be completed in time for the Memorial Day weekend.”

The work will be performed by the Mugrose Construction Inc. of West Caldwell. A contract in the amount of $1,838,682 was awarded by the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders on Aug.25.

“While the current bridge has served the traveling public well since 1945, it has had a 5-ton weight restriction for sometime,” Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley said. “The new structure and other improvements should serve the local residents, commuters and visitors to southern Monmouth County for many decades.”