By Allison Perrine
MONMOUTH COUNTY – Residents are invited to weigh in on the county’s final design plans for a new bridge in Rumson and Sea Bright spanning the Shrewsbury River.
Because social gatherings are currently limited during the COVID-19 pandemic, county officials organized a virtual public meeting Tuesday with detailed videos and information about the latest proposal to replace the bridge. The information is available on the website rumsonseabrightbridge.com and public comments will be accepted now through July 10.
“While we practice social distancing and limit large gatherings during this time of COVID-19, the county needs to continue moving forward on important transportation projects such as this one,” said Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. He added that the bridge is a “significant transportation link and economic contributor for local communities, regional residents and the tourists who enjoy our seaside destinations.”
According to Joseph Ettore, Monmouth County engineer, the existing bridge was constructed in the early 1950s. It carries Rumson Road across the river to Sea Bright and serves as one of two evacuation and emergency routes during tidal flooding and coastal storms. While it is “an important structure for the local and regional transportation network and economy,” he said, its age drives up maintenance and repair costs.
In 2013, the county conducted a study on the bridge with federal funding. Based on the results, officials determined that its replacement would be the best option. From 2014 to 2017, officials conducted the second phase of work that consisted of local preliminary engineering, Ettore said. The county established a new footprint for the bridge, assessed its environmental impacts and hosted various public information sessions about the ideas for replacement.
The final design phase for the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge replacement is now underway. It will have two lanes toward Sea Bright and one lane toward Rumson. Residents have until July 10 to submit questions or concerns about the most updated plans.
Now, the county is in the third and final phase before construction. It will be completed by the end of 2020, with construction planned to begin in the spring of 2021 and end in 2024 “with 100 percent fed- eral funding,” Ettore added.
As currently planned, the existing Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge, S-32, will be replaced with a similar type of double-leafed movable bridge, to make it “more reliable and efficient,” Ettore said. The Tower Bridge in London is a type of double-leafed movable bridge.
The new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge will also have a concrete surface, replacing the existing open grate on the bridge and allowing for safer bicycle crossing and less vehicular noise. Sidewalks will be on either side of the bridge with improved striping and signals at pedestrian crossings. It will be constructed south of the existing bridge at about the same height.
Additionally, the new bridge has been designed for earthquake resistance and 100-year and 500-year storm riverbed erosion, according to the county. Steel beams will be metalized for corrosion protection. It will have two lanes toward Sea Bright and one lane toward Rumson.
It will be approximately 12 feet wider than the existing bridge and will have an operator’s house on the Rumson side of the navigation channel and a gatekeeper’s house on the Sea Bright side. Their windows will provide better views of the waterway and roadway, and their low-profile rooflines will provide less obstructed views of the river. The lighting on the bridge will provide greater visibility and glare reduction, and will be similar to the lights in the downtown Sea Bright area.
Rumson and Sea Bright borough officials have provided resolutions of support for the plan, as have the county freeholders.
“We are very excited about the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge replacement project,” Rumson Mayor Joseph Hemphill told The Two River Times in May when the county received additional funding for the project. “Over many years, we have completed numerous projects with the county and have built a tremendous relationship with them. They always produced extremely quality products, and we look forward to the construction of a beautiful bridge. Its time has finally come.”
A previous article about the new bridge in the May 21 – 27 edition of The Two River Times misstated the number of lanes planned. As noted in the article above, there will be two lanes toward Sea Bright and one lane toward Rumson.
The article originally appeared in the June 11 – 17, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
