Sections Of Route 9 In Waretown Will Be Closed Due To Bridge Work

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ - Drivers should prepare for some Route 9 traffic changes as work begins to replace the structurally deficient Watertown Creek bridge, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Traffic will be detoured and closed on Route 9 North from Bryant Road to Memorial Drive. Route 9 South traffic will be shifted to the shoulder. Separate detours will be in place for cars and trucks, according to a DOT release.

The work began at 8 a.m. on Friday. The changes will remain until the spring of 2019. The bridge replacement scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2019, weather permitting.

"The new traffic configuration will allow for the demolition of the east side of the bridge and reconstruction of a new bridge," the release states.

The $3.1 million federally-funded project will replace the structurally deficient bridge located between Bryant Road and Birdsall Street. The project will be done in stages to minimize traffic disruption.

The following car and truck detours will be in place:

Route 9 northbound detour

· Motorists traveling Route 9 northbound will be directed to turn right onto Bryant Road

· Turn left onto CR 613/Main Street

· Turn left onto Lighthouse Drive back to Route 9

Route 9 northbound truck detour

· Trucks traveling Route 9 northbound will be directed to turn left onto CR 554/West Bay Avenue

· Take the Garden State Parkway north to Exit 74 - CR 614/Lacey Road

· Turn right onto CR 614/Lacey Road and follow to Route 9

· There will be no tolls collected between these specific interchanges traveling northbound

Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOTinfo.

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