MANAHAWKIN – Route 72 eastbound will be closed and detoured beginning 6:30 p.m. tonight and lasting until 8 a.m. May 15.
New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) contractor, C.J. Hesse, Inc. will close Route 72 eastbound at the Marsha Drive intersection for drainage repairs as Manahawkin Bay Bridges project advances.
Route 72 eastbound detour:
- Drivers traveling on Route 72 eastbound will be directed to take the ramp towards Marsha Drive
- Keep right at the end of the ramp and merge onto Marsha Drive
- Turn left onto Jennifer Drive
- Turn left onto Morris Boulevard
- Take the ramp back to Route 72 eastbound
Back in 2013, the $312 million project began on the Route 72/Manahawkin Bay Bridge. The new design will help improve safety and reduce congestion in Stafford at the Marsha Drive/Route 72 intersection and in Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island.
Construction plans include the following:
- Marsha Drive in Stafford 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, approximately 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.
- A new storm drainage system and new outfalls will be installed in an effort to reduce frequent flooding along Route 72 and these intersections.
