Route 72 Bridge Construction To Take Summer Hiatus: NJDOT

LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ — The Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project will be taking a summer hiatus after Long Beach Island officials, residents and business owners voiced concerns that it would increase traffic and delay emergency vehicles during the island's busiest months, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) announced.

The hiatus will begin no later than July 24, NJDOT officials said in a news release. Construction will start back up after Labor Day, NJDOT said, on or about Sept. 11.

Work near Marsha Drive in Stafford has already been completed for the season.

All lanes and sidewalks on 8th and 9th Streets, as well as Barnegat Avenue, Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard will be open throughout the remaining seven weeks of the summer, uninterrupted by State construction unless emergency work is needed, NJDOT said.

"NJDOT has been working with the contractor and the town to develop an adjusted schedule to complete the project as quickly and safely as possible," NJDOT said. "The project schedule was affected by utility work delays and the discovery of some contaminated soil on 8th Street that required environmental permitting and remediation before the project could proceed."

That project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, NJDOT said.

This final construction contract is designed to improve safety and reduce congestion in Stafford at the Marsha Drive/Route 72 intersection and in Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island. In Stafford, Marsha Drive will be widened to provide double left turn lanes onto Route 72, and a third lane will be added on Route 72 in both directions near the intersection.

In Ship Bottom, about 3,000 feet of Route 72 (locally known as 8th and 9th Streets) and three
cross roads (Barnegat Avenue, Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard) will be widened. Two-way traffic will be restored along Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard. Five traffic signals will be reconstructed, and a new traffic signal will be installed at the intersection of 8th Street and Long Beach Boulevard. In addition, a new storm drainage system and new outfalls will be installed in an effort to reduce frequent flooding along Route 72 and these intersections. For more information NJDOT developed a project-specific website.