County presents new Mantoloking Bridge
$20M project to cut bridge openings, ease traffic
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Residents look over plans for the new Mantoloking Bridge.
The Ocean County Department of Engineering unveiled the final plans for the new Mantoloking Bridge last week, and received an overwhelmingly positive response from the public.
"I would say the general feeling was ‘get out and do it,’ " said Frank Scarantino, Ocean County director of engineering. "The public had a good reaction, with a lot of positive questions."
Officials fielded questions regarding design, construction and traffic during a three-hour public information session at Mantoloking Borough Hall on Thursday.
The Mantoloking Bridge, on Mantoloking Road/
Herbert Street, connects Brick Township to the barrier island across the Barnegat Bay.
The new $20 million drawbridge, which is set to open in the fall of 2005, will feature a 30-foot minimum clearance over the water and an 80-foot-wide channel, as compared to the 15-foot clearance and dual 30-foot channels of the current bridge. The project will be entirely funded by the federal government.
On the new bridge, the two-lane roadway will be wider than the current bridge, and there will be a continuous sidewalk for pedestrians.
By building the new bridge along the north side of the existing bridge, traffic will remain relatively unaffected by the construction project, which is slated to begin in December.
"There will be short periods of time when there will be interference with traffic as we realign the approach, but there is no intention to close the roadway," said Arthur Linfante from HNTB, Wayne, the design firm of record on the project.
Linfante also noted that during construction, the channel has to be kept open in order to allow boat traffic to pass through.
"It’s unacceptable to close it," he said.
In addition to keeping the navigation boat channels open during construction, the contractor will also be required to protect debris from entering the bay by installing fencing and netting.
Bidding on the construction project will begin in September, and is expected to take a month. Once the new bridge is complete, some of the traffic problems that plague Mantoloking Road and Herbert Street will be solved.
Officials estimate that more than 75 percent of all boats will be able to pass under the new bridge, which will drop the yearly openings of the bridge from 6,000 to 2,000.
"Whether you are traveling by boat or by car, there will be fewer delays once this bridge is completed," said Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr.
The new bridge will also differ in appearance from its predecessor, according to Linfante.
"Right now, there are a lot of timber piles under the bridge. The new one will be more open in appearance," said Linfante.
Although the old Mantoloking Bridge will be demolished once the new bridge is fully operational, a part of the bridge on the Brick side of Barnegat Bay will remain, and will be converted into a fishing pier.
Four parking spaces will be available to the public, but officials expect that most people who want to fish off the pier will either walk or bike to it.
Besides the segment that will be left to become the fishing pier, officials are planning to preserve the memories of the old bridge with a display that will be housed in Mantoloking Borough Hall.
Officials are seeking the public’s input on the title for the display; the display’s themes and topics; anecdotes or stories about the old bridge; and historic photographs, postcards and memorabilia of the bridge and the surrounding area.
Despite the obvious advantages that will come with the construction of the new bridge, some residents will miss having the old bridge around.
"I’ve lived here for 30 years, and I love the old bridge," said Betty Wagner, Mantoloking. "It’ll no longer be a part of the view."