For Immediate Release:

April 27, 2012 

Brief closure for Ocean Avenue span

FREEHOLD, NJ –Monmouth County’s Shark River Bridge (W-43) along Ocean Avenue (CR 18) between Avon-By-The Sea and Belmar will undergo a routine safety inspection and be closed to motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic during off-peak hours next Wednesday.

Specifically, the Shark River Bridge will be closed on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 beginning at 10 p.m. and lasting about three to four hours. This bridge closure will not affect marine traffic.

“Monmouth County prides itself on safety, especially with its movable bridges,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the county’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “These inspections are a necessary part of the process. Hopefully, residents won’t be too inconvenienced.”

The closures are required for the state’s Movable Bridge Inspection program. The state Department of Transportation’s National Bridge Inventory Standards program must be conducted every two years. The inspection program includes testing of movable bridge barriers, safety gates and traffic lights.  

The testing is being overseen by Hardesty & Hanover LLP of Trenton.

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