NJDOT announces Route 71 over Shark River closure

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) announced today that the Route 71/Main Street Bridge over Shark River in Belmar Borough and Avon-By-The-Sea, Monmouth County, will be closed for a rehabilitation project.

Beginning Thursday, October 7 at midnight, the moveable bridge will closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic until approximately May 1, 2011, prior to the start of the busy summer Shore season. The bridge will be pinned in the open position throughout the construction period to allow for unobstructed marine traffic passage.

Local vehicular and pedestrian access will be maintained at all times to businesses, residences and other destinations near the bridge on both sides of the river.

Vehicular through traffic and pedestrians will be directed to the following detour using the nearby Route 35 bridge:

• Route 71 northbound motorists in Belmar will turn left onto 8th Avenue and right onto Route 35 to cross the river to Avon-By-The-Sea. Motorists will turn right onto Sylvania Avenue to Route 71/Main Street.

• Route 71/Main Street southbound motorists in Avon-By-The-Sea will turn right onto Sylvania Avenue westbound and take the loop ramp to Memorial Drive (Railroad Avenue) onto Route 35 and proceed into Belmar, where they will turn left onto 8th Avenue to Route 71.

NJ TRANSIT will be announcing detours for its bus service that normally operates over the Route 71/Main Street span.

The work includes new barrier gates and the rehabilitation of mechanical and electrical systems. It is part of a $17.8 million project that includes improvements to the Route 88 bridge over the Inland Waterway in Point Pleasant.

NJDOT provides emergency roadway information, construction schedule updates and real time traffic information and images at www.511nj.org