By Joseph Sapia
The Oceanic Bridge over the Navesink River is in “critical condition,” an engineering diagnosis that means Monmouth County must either rehabilitate or replace the Rumson and Middletown connection.
In this early phase of the Oceanic Bridge project, the county has opened a public comment period, running from Oct. 25 – the day it held informational sessions at Bingham Hall in Rumson and at the Middletown Library – through Nov. 25.
“At this phase, we’re just looking at the project purpose and objectives,” said Monmouth County Engineer Joseph M. Ettore. “This is just data gathering. This is really the first phase of a process, an input from the communities we serve.”
The gathering of facts is from a professional engineering aspect, Ettore said. But also a community aspect: Should the bridge be rehabilitated or replaced? Should the bridge remain a low-to-the-water bridge that requires opening for boat traffic or a stationary, tall bridge that boats simply pass under? Should a new bridge be built in the footprint of the old or nearby?
The county also wants to hear from the public on any topic related to the bridge, including aesthetics, traffic (including pedestrian and bicycling), boating, shoulders and sidewalks and environmental concerns.
A replacement of the bridge, whether stationary or one that opens, would cost an estimated $100 to $130 million, hopefully paid for by federal Department of Transportation funds, Ettore said. A rehabilitation of the bridge would cost much less – but no dollar estimate was available.
The federal DOT is funding about $1.2 million for the current concept development phase, with the money administered by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority.
Bill Carton, 55, of Middletown, sails with the Monmouth Boat Club in Red Bank. Carton said he had no preference between a movable bridge or a stationary bridge – although a stationary bridge would be cheaper because it would not require bridge-tenders.
Carton’s concern, though, was sailboats passing through. Average sailboats in the area have masts 55-feet tall, Carton said.
“I’ll take a drawbridge any day, knowing the boats can go through,” Carton said. “It’s not only mast height, but antennas (on top of masts).”
Middletown Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger declined to say how he personally feels about the bridge issue because he chairs his township’s Landmarks Commission, which will weigh in on the topic.
“I don’t want to sway the commission (in advance of it discussing the bridge),” Scharfenberger said.
But Scharfenberger added, “I want to respect what everybody wants and get as much input. We want to hear from as many people as possible.”
Atlantic Highlands Mayor Rhonda C. Le Grice, who also attended the Middletown information session, said she believes a stationary bridge is “inevitable.”
The present concrete and steel, two-lane bridge was built in 1939 and is 2,700 feet long. It has two lanes and a sidewalk. It replaced a previous bridge.
It sits 25 feet above the boating channel at mean high water. It is a draw-bridge, with two of its spans pivoting upward to allow boat traffic to pass below. A bridge-tender is on duty at all times from April 1 to Nov. 30, opening the bridge on demand; from Dec. 1 to March 31, the bridge is not staffed, requiring a 24-hours-in-advance appointment for opening, Ettore said.
Motor vehicle traffic is consistent year-round on the bridge – about 12,000 vehicles per day in the summer and 11,000 vehicles per day in the other months, Ettore said. The county also reported up to 40 bicycles per hour on weekends, high boat traffic in the summer and on weekends, and light to moderate pedestrian traffic.
If a Navesink River crossing has to be shut down – for example, if the old bridge had to be removed and a new one built in its place – each detour, either through Red Bank or through Rumson-Sea Bright, would be about 8-1/2 miles, Ettore said.
“It’s a real difficult detour,” said Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber.
Emergency repairs were done on the bridge in 2011, 2012, and 2015. But it remains a needy structure because of heavy rusting, aged equipment, failing paint and road surface in need of repair, according to the county.
“It has to be done,” Weber said. “It’s an aging and deteriorating infrastructure.”
Work on a bridge rehabilitation or a new bridge would run from winter 2023-24 to winter 2026-27, according to a current timetable. The current phase is expected to be completed in winter 2017-18; followed by a preliminary engineering phase, running from fall 2018 to winter of 2020-21; followed by the final engineering phase, from spring of 2021 to fall 2023.
The county began talking to local government officials about the bridge rehabilitation or replacement in April. Earlier this month, the county talked to various stakeholders. Now, the general public comment period is open.
Comments on the bridge may be directed to Inkyung Englehart, project manager, Monmouth County Division of Engineering and Traffic Safety, Hall of Records Annex, 3rd Floor, 1 E. Main St., Freehold, 07728; inkyung.englehart@co.monmouth.nj.us.
Information on the Oceanic Bridge, including project surveys, are available at monmouthcountyoceanicbridge.com.
