The Friends of the Oceanic Bridge Association is urging residents to reach out to county, state and federal officials regarding the future of the 70-year-old historic bridge connecting Rumson and the Locust section of Middletown.
Oceanic Bridge At a meeting on Dec.15 at Bingham Hall, Todd Thompson, president of the group, urged members to voice their opinions.
“Timing is of the essence. We can’t be apathetic. We’ve got to get our voices heard and be proactive,” Thompson reiterated during an interview on Dec. 21.
“We don’t want to say shoulda’, woulda’, coulda,’ ” Thompson said.
The mission of Friends of the Oceanic Bridge Association, a 501(c)(3) corporation, is to ensure that the replacement for the span preserves the aesthetic and environmental character of the existing structure consistent with modern construction codes.
Thompson said the group funds its efforts through private contributions and grants and works with the office of the Monmouth County engineer and local, state and national political representatives, as well as residents and businesses, to raise awareness of the aesthetic and practical attributes of the present Oceanic Bridge, and to solicit support to require that the replacement bridge be a low bascule bridge of similar design and character.
“Write your representatives and make some noise so we have strong community support,” Thompson urged.
Thompson explained to members of the group the importance of the new bridge being of similar construction to the existing span.
“The bridge is historically eligible for its engineering significance, and that’s similar to being on the registry, as we have the pedi- gree and historic credentials,” said Thompson.
In 1940 the Oceanic Bridge was designated “the nation’s most beautiful movable bridge” by a civil engineering journal.
“Its historic nature and beauty are very important. People are blown away by its beauty,” said Thompson.
“The Oceanic Bridge is a good example of a project where the costs, in the form of lost property values, damage to an historic environment and loss of aesthetic resources, outweigh the very small cost differential, as well as the effect on navigation.
“Even the proposed high bridge would not accommodate all existing recreational boat traffic,” said Thompson.
Thompson said that the county does not consider the cost of a bridge attendant to be a significant deterrent to a low-profile bascule bridge.
The county’s estimated cost of operating an opening bridge is $10.65 million over 75 years.
The federally borne estimated cost of construction and 75 years of maintenance is lower, $47 million versus $49.5 million, according to the county’s bridge scoping study in 2004.
“The Federal Highway Administration [FHWA] is only willing to provide funding for fixed-span bridges,” Thompson said.
Thompson detailed the drawbacks to the proposed 70-foot-high fixed bridge.
“It will degrade the traditional character of the Rumson and Middletown historic districts and will adversely dominate the views from the Rumson and Locust waterfronts, as well as from the Navesink River,” said Thompson.
As a result, Thompson said, a fixed high bridge would lower the value of homes and businesses near the bridge.
Thompson estimates 23 percent lower property values if the high-bridge design is implemented, based on a study completed in 2005.
Thompson explained that federal law establishes a preference for fixed bridges as opposed to movable span bridges, but if there are social, economic, environmental or engineering reasons that favor the selection of a movable bridge, then that preference can be overcome.
He added that the Department of Transportation prefers a high, fixed bridge because it’s less expensive in the long term.
“That’s particularly the case where the costs imposed by the fixed span outweigh its benefits. Costs in this context include not only the construction, but an evaluation of value of the resource which is harmed or other costs, such as lost property values,” stated Thompson.
Moreover, Thompson explained that the National Historic Preservation Act, a federal law, requires consideration of the impact of federally funded projects on areas and struc- tures eligible for listing on the National Register.
T
he 57-bascule span was the center of
controversy for several years while the county was looking at several different plans to replace the historic but deteriorating drawbridge, including one that would increase the height of the structure.
The town councils of Rumson, Fair Haven, Little Silver and Middletown previously passed resolutions opposing a larger, fixed bridge, and county officials, including the county Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Board of Recreation Commissioners, eventually recommended that a new span built to replace the bridge should remain a low-level, moveable bridge rather than a higher, fixed span.
Currently a 3-ton weight restriction is expected to remain in effect until mid- January. The extent of the repairs will be determined by the results of the testing.
County engineers have said that the bridge is “at the end of its useful life and is structurally deficient and in overall poor condition.”
Estimated project costs including final design and construction amount to $80 million.
A
ccording to county documents, the
local scoping phase is anticipated for completion in 2010. The next step is the final design, with the anticipated construction to take place in 2014.
The office of the Monmouth County engineer will submit a revised purpose and need statement and alternatives analysis section to the DOT by March 1.
If the DOT feels the county has made a defensible case for a low drawbridge, they will agree with the county’s recommendation and forward that decision to the FHWA.
The final decision as to what type of bridge will be constructed is expected in the second quarter of 2010.
“We’re doing the right thing, and hopefully they will, too,” Thompson said.