Lake Louise In Howell Sees Upgrades, Bridge Reopened

HOWELL, NJ — A joint project for the rehabilitation of the Lake Louise dam and spillway, along with reconstructing a portion of Lanes Pond Road and bridge, has recently been completed.

The 12-month project, a joint effort of the township and Monmouth County, included installation of a sidewalk along Lanes Pond Road and four parking stalls on Laurel Place for fishing and passive recreation enjoyment of the lake, the township said.

Lanes Pond Road was repaved from Lanes Mill Road to Locust Avenue and was reopened to traffic Thursday.

The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners held a ribbon cutting ceremony with township officials Thursday today to mark the opening of Bridge HL-73 and Lake Louise dam, the county said in a news release.

"The county determined that there was a need to replace the HL-73 bridge because of its antiquated timber structure and worked with Howell Township to concurrently upgrade the Lake Louise dam to current standards,” Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said.

“This project was a clear example of partnership between the county and Howell Township, with the county covering 100 percent of the bridge repairs, Howell covering 100 percent of the approach roadway and both the county and township equally sharing the cost of repairing the dam,” he said.

A construction contract for the joint project was awarded in September of 2021 to Marbro, Inc., of Montclair, for $4,047,117.

The township budgeted $1,150,000 for the project in conjunction with the county. Lake dredging was not included in the project, Matt Howard, Howell director of community development, said.

Howard said the lake is created by the dam at the eastern side along the roadway.

In total, the county maintains approximately 1,000 lane miles of roads, 980 bridges and culverts and 250 traffic signals and beacons, the county said in the news release.

The project had required Lanes Pond Road to be closed 24 hours a day, from Lanes Mill Road to Locust Avenue. Traffic had been detoured via Lanes Mill Road, Maxim Southard Road and Locust Avenue.

As part of this project, Lanes Pond Road was to be repaved from Lanes Mill Road to approximately 400 feet north of Laurel Place. Additionally, a six-feet-wide sidewalk was to be installed adjacent to the lake.