NJ Home   Services A to Z   Departments/Agencies FAQs
Great Seal of the State of New Jersey
NJDOT Site Index  |  Search: NJ Home   NJDOT
Disclaimer  
Great Seal of the State of New Jersey

news release

P.O. Box 600
Trenton, NJ

Contact:
Joe Dee or Tim Greeley
609-530-4280

RELEASE: December 14, 2011

 

NJDOT reaching milestone
in Route 52 causeway project

Opening of southbound side of new
Ship Channel bridge planned for tomorrow

(Trenton) - NJDOT officials today announced that a milestone is expected to be reached tomorrow on the new Route 52 causeway linking the Jersey Shore destinations of Somers Point, Atlantic County and Ocean City, Cape May County.

NJDOT is scheduled to open the southbound half of the new fixed bridge over Ship Channel at the Somers Point end of the causeway on the morning of Thursday, December 15. The opening of this bridge will, for the first time, place two-way traffic - one-lane in each direction - on the south side of the causeway from end-to-end, from the intersection of Shore Road and Mays Landing Road in Somers Point to Bay Avenue in Ocean City.

At each end of the causeway, the old lift bridges will be demolished to clear the way for crews to build the final two fixed-span bridges to complete the entire causeway in both directions. Under a restructured contract, the causeway fixed bridges are scheduled for completion by Memorial Day, 2012. At that time, the new causeway is expected to be fully opened with two newly constructed travel lanes in each direction. The causeway handles up 40,000 motorists trips across the causeway during peak travel days during the summer season.

Construction on the Route 52 Causeway Replacement project began in October, 2006, with a $145 million contract to replace the middle 1.2 miles of the 76-year-old causeway from Elbow Island to Garret's Island. Work was completed in the summer of 2009.

The $251 million ongoing contract to complete the causeway and replace two lift bridges began in September, 2009. The southbound half of the new fixed-span bridge over Beach Thorofare into Ocean City was opened in May 2011.

Work on the visitors center, fishing piers and other amenities will be completed by the end of 2012, with minimal impact to motorists on the causeway.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Real time travel and construction information is available online at www.511nj.org

 
Go to NJDOT home page Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Legal Statement | Accessibility Statement  Go to State of New Jersey home page
  department: home | about | NJ commuter | in the works | business | engineering | freight, air & water | capital | community | data | links | index
  statewide: NJ Home | about NJ | business | government | state services A to Z | departments

  Copyright © State of New Jersey, 2002-2020
  Department of Transportation
  P.O. Box 600
  Trenton, NJ 08625-0600
OPRA - open public records act

  Last Updated:  October 15, 2013