State DOT To Reroute Bridge Traffic In Time For Summer Season

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, NJ - The state Department of Transportation plans to reroute traffic on the Manahawkin Bay Bridge as the $350 million project continues.

The shift will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 30 until 5 a.m. on Sunday, April 1. Traffic will be moved from the northern portion of the Hilliards Thorofare bridge, which normally handles westbound traffic, to Route 72 to two lanes in each direction for the 2018 summer season.

Shifting the traffic pattern will allow for limited summer construction on the center median, which will not affect traffic, the DOT says.

That will change in the fall, when shoulder work will be done and the reconstruction of the southern portion of the bridge will take place. The southern section normally handles Route 72 eastbound traffic. That will translate into limited overnigh closures in the fall, the DOT says.

Work on the $350 million Route 72/Manahawkin Bay Bridge project began in 2013 and is expected to continue through 2021. The 3-mile long causeway links Stafford on the mainland with Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island.

The project includes a new bridge that has been constructed parallel to the existing one over Manahawkin Bay, which provides another route on or off the island. The new bridge is 2,400 feet long with a vertical clearance of 55 feet over Manahawkin Bay. It currently has two lanes in each direction while the original Causeway bridge is being rehabilitated.

Ultimately, it will function as the bridge for eastbound traffic once the project is completed, with the rehabilitated original bridge carrying westbound traffic. For more information NJDOT developed a project-specific website.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for construction updates and real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.

Photo: Patch file photo