OLD BRIDGE – Matawan Road/Route 516 eastbound traffic will be shifted onto the newly reconstructed westbound lane for the continuation of the Route 18 Bridge Deck Replacement project in Middlesex County.
From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 9, New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) contractor Halmar International LLC will shift Matawan Road/Route 516 eastbound to the newly reconstructed north side of the bridge to begin reconstruction of the south side of the bridge, according to information provided by DOT.
The current detour of Matawan Road/Route 516 westbound to Route 18 northbound will continue. Traffic will then follow Route 18 northbound for 0.6 miles to the reverse jughandle at the intersection with Hillsdale Road to make a U-turn. The detour route then proceeds on Route 18 southbound to the exit ramp for Route 516/ Route 527 where it ends on the west side of the bridge, according to DOT.
Bridge traffic will remain open to passenger vehicles traveling eastbound on Matawan Road/Route 516.
Emergency vehicles will continue to have controlled access to the signaling system over the bridge to respond to incidents as necessary.
The $2.6 million federal and state funded project will replace the structurally deficient bridge deck on a four-span bridge structure built in 1959, will perform limited work on the approaching roadways and will perform limited repair work on the bridge.
DOT expects a project completion date of winter 2016.
For up-to-date information, visit www.511nj.org or follow DOT on Twitter @NJDOT_info.