BRICK – A northbound lane on the original span of the Midstreams Bridge will be opened to traffic on Friday, despite the continuation of construction, officials said.
“Structural issues that came to light during demolition resulted in the complete closure of the bridge for safety reasons,” said Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly, Director of Law and Public Safety. “After carefully weighing our options with the contractor we are prepared to open one lane of the span to traffic. This will provide easier access for motorists to the Midstreams area of Brick Township.”
Freeholder Director Gerry P. Little, who also serves as liaison to the Ocean County Road Department, said the county maintains nearly 260 bridges and culverts.
“Brick Township is a growing area in Ocean County and it’s important our roads and bridges are well maintained and safe for our residents and visitors,” Little said.
The construction will be replacing the Midstreams Bridge and is expected to be completed in one year.
“We anticipate the lane of traffic to remain open throughout the rest of the project,” Kelly said. “This should help ease some of the access issues to the area.”
The length of the new bridge, compared to the original structure built in 1962, will be slightly shorter. Measuring 131 feet at its origin, the new bridge will reach 111 feet. On the other hand, the width of the new bridge will exceed that of the original structure. The original bridge was 35 feet wide, and the new bridge is meant to be 49 feet wide. The widened bridge will allow for more space for traffic.
The new structure will also have a 40 feet curb-to-curb cart way along with a 6-foot wide sidewalk on the west side. The proposed bridge rail will be a 4-bar galvanized steel with cast-in-place concrete pylons. Included in the scope is the extensive installation of steel sheet bulkheading, revised roadway profile and upgraded guide rail.
“The new bridge will be a safer span for both motorists and pedestrians,” Kelly said.
