7 Bridges Road Repaving Slated

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By John Burton

LITTLE SILVER — It’s sort of a two-for-one for the borough as Monmouth County officials have agreed to repave Seven Bridges Road as it undergoes work to replace a bridge.
Mayor Robert Neff Jr. said he raised the issue of doing the additional roadwork during a recent conversation with Joseph Ettore, the county’s head engineer. Officials acknowledged it has been about 19 years since the street was last paved. County roads are usually repaved every 12 to 20 years.
Freeholder Director John Curley agreed with Neff and Ettore’s assessment, and Curley offered the freeholders’ support by sending a letter to borough officials to that affect, Neff said.
The county’s plan is to resurface Seven Bridges Road, CR-33, from the area of Gooseneck Bridge on the Oceanport border to Rumson Road, about a 1.7-mile stretch, according to William Heine, a county spokesman.
The roadway’s condition has “been kind of spotty,” Neff said, noting the potholes, cracks and faded striping running along it. Toward the Oceanport end, the road has had a tendency to flood during rainstorms, which has taken its toll. Compounding the situation, recent utility work done prior to the bridge replacement on the northern end in Little Silver has had an impact on Seven Bridges Road. “Parts of it are in pretty rough shape,” Neff said.
Given the current project under way, the time that has lapsed since it was last repaved, and Little Silver’s request, county officials agreed it would be an opportune time to do the work, Heine said. “It was a good call by both parties.”
The county began its $2.7 million bridge replacement project earlier this month and a portion of the road is expected to be closed for roughly six months. Contractors are replacing an aging timber bridge over Little Silver Creek Road, in the area of Point Road School.
The resurfacing is expected to dovetail with the bridge replacement project and the work will be done while traffic is detoured, Heine said.
The repaving is budgeted at $320,000 and is part of the county’s annual $5 million road resurfacing work that paves about 20 to 25 miles of county road, based upon current condition and age, Heine said.
“It’s nice to get it all done while the bridge replacement is going forward, while the road is closed for a bit,” Neff said. “I’m happy it’s not on the dime of the Little Silver taxpayers.”