RED BANK — Monmouth County will begin a project to replace the bridge deck on the Newman Springs Road bridge (S-16) over the Swimming River just east of the Garden State Parkway around April 1. The project is expected to conclude in late November, weather permitting.
The bridge will remain open to vehicular traffic throughout the project, but motorists should expect delays and plan alternate routes, according to a press release from the county.
To complete the repair work and to continue to accommodate vehicle traffic on the busy stretch of road, the twin two-lane bridges will be reduced to two lanes — one westbound and one eastbound — during the eight-month construction period. Pedestrians will not have access to the bridge during the project.
“Deterioration of the bridge surface over the past four decades has significantly advanced to the point that the entire deck needs to be replaced,” Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone said in a press release.
The existing concrete decks on both bridges will be completely removed and replaced with new concrete decks of the same dimensions. Work will also be completed on each of the bridge approaches, the curbs and the sidewalks. When finished, all work will meet current design standards.
“The replacement work will extend the usable life of this 42-year-old bridge,” Arnone said. “This bridge is an important link that connects Red Bank and Tinton Falls to Middletown.”
Renco Inc., of Somerville, was awarded a contract amount of $2,114,109 for the project, which is being funded by the state’s Annual Transportation Trust Fund.
The contract also includes the rehabilitation of the Branchport Avenue Bridge (E- 20) at Branchport Creek between Long Branch and Oceanport. The scope of this project includes repairs to the existing bridge deck, including performing miscellaneous deck, sidewalk and curb spall repairs, and the construction of a latex modified concrete overlay on existing bridge deck.
The Branchport Avenue project is expected to begin in April. In the area of the bridge, the roadway will be closed to vehicular traffic but open to pedestrian traffic. Overseen by the Department of Public Works & Engineering, all work is expected to be substantially complete before Memorial Day weekend.