Officials with Monmouth County, N.J., in cooperation with two state agencies and the federal government, broke ground in early November for the construction of the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge S-32 Replacement Project, the Atlantic Highlands Herald reported.
The $107.5 million enterprise is located on Rumson Road (County Road 520) over the Shrewsbury River between the Borough of Rumson and the Borough of Sea Bright in northeast New Jersey.
Originally built in 1950, the county decided that a replacement for the crossing was needed because the old structure is approaching the end of its useful life. According to the project's webpage, the old Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge "has structural and functional limitations that do not meet today's design standards."
Also on hand for the groundbreaking were officials from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
"We are thrilled to break ground today for the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge," said Monmouth County Commission Director Thomas A. Arnone. "I want to thank Rumson Mayor Joseph K. Hemphill and Sea Bright Mayor Brian P. Kelly, along with our partners at NJTPA, NJDOT and FHWA who helped make this vital construction project a reality."
The county received $107.5 million in federal funding to cover the construction, in addition to $7.2 million for construction inspection and administration, $5.74 million for building support services and $10.9 million to fund the previous design, engineering and permitting costs. In total, federal grants for the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge came to more than $130 million.
"We can't thank the Monmouth County Commissioners and County Engineer Joseph Ettore and his engineering team enough for their dedication to this project," Rumson Mayor Joseph K. Hemphill said. "Our town is lucky to be in this county. As Commissioner Arnone said, ‘This county and its towns have a great working relationship. Because of that, we get things done.'"
Arnone noted in his remarks that Monmouth County's partners at the state and federal levels helped it secure money from Washington for the bridge project, and because of that, he said, the county "anticipates only covering the non-participating items on this project at the cost of $58.2 million, which is a huge saving to our taxpayers while providing an essential infrastructure improvement project."
Monmouth County awarded the construction contract last spring to Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. in Pilesgrove, N.J.
The Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge is a movable, double-leaf bascule bridge because of the double spans that open the waterway for marine vessels to move up and down the Shrewsbury River. It will have an overall length of 661 ft., and a roadway width of just over 52 ft., including shoulders.
During the new bridge's construction, the old structure will continue to carry cars and trucks on Rumson Road across the river. Marine traffic, too, will be maintained with no planned closures of the navigational channel, the Herald noted.
The project will be built in stages, and when the new bascule bridge is ready, traffic will be shifted to it and the old structure will be demolished. The anticipated date of completion will be early 2025.
"Sea Bright is thankful and excited for the groundbreaking of the new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge," said Sea Bright Mayor Brian P. Kelly. "The county has facilitated and planned carefully for this project for close to a decade and we know the construction phase will be safe and successful. We are also very happy the current bridge will remain operational while the new bridge to the south is being constructed."
"Putting federal dollars to work on critical, locally-led projects is one of our highest priorities for the region," added NJTPA Deputy Executive Director David Behrend. "The Rumson-Sea Bright bridge is a perfect example of this."
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