Keyport-Aberdeen Amboy Street Bridge Reopening Delayed

ABERDEEN, NJ - The replacement of County Bridge MA-14 on Amboy Avenue/West Front Street had a reopening goal of late November but now it appears complications at the state will force an updated construction schedule, one that will see reopening in late Spring 2018.

The bridge over Matawan Creek has been in place for a century but county officials determined in 2016 it needed a new lease on life to serve Bayshore drivers and walkers.

Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the Monmouth County Public Works and Engineering Department, explained the replacement bridge project began on March 14, 2016 although the road was not closed to traffic until May 16, 2016.

The $23.5 million project, which had been the subject of several public meetings, "anticipated the road and bridge would be reopened to traffic by November 2017 and all work would be completed by April 2018," Arnone said. "However, the schedule for this project was impacted by the Transportation Trust Fund issue in June 2016 which shut down all construction projects funded by the Transportation Trust Fund during the prime work season."

Because of that delay, the schedule impact pushed weather-sensitive work into the winter season, he said. The contractor’s revised schedule now anticipates that the road and bridge will be reopened in late Spring 2018 and all work will be complete by late Summer 2018.”

George Harms Construction Company in Howell is the contractor for the $23.5 million project. The Federal Highway Administration is contributing $22.276 million of federal dollars -95 percent - toward the project.

The bridge is one of the main thoroughfares between Aberdeen and Keyport. The existing bridge, built in 1916, allowed travel over Matawan Creek and was last renovated in 1981, county officials said. Motorists have encountered travel delays throughout the process.

Workers are replacing the existing four-span steel-girder bridge with a similar alignment and structure, according to a summary of the project. The existing bridge and approaches are within the 100-year flood area and subject to impacts from high tides and storm-surge flooding. The roadway profile will be raised to provide 12 feet of clearance.

The new four-span bridge will be approximately 350 feet long and includes reinforced concrete abutments and piers supported by drilled shaft foundations; reinforced concrete deck slabs and sidewalks; bridge traffic and pedestrian barriers consisting of open steel railing systems; decorative pedestrian lighting and reconstruction of the approach roadways: asphalt surfaced roadways, retaining walls, sidewalks and upgraded safety features.

Detour signs were posted in Aberdeen and Keyport with Route 35 as the primary alternative route to the closed bridge over Matawan Creek. Signs on Amboy Avenue/West Front Street, also known as County Road 6, Prospect Avenue in Aberdeen, Broadway in Keyport and Route 35 have been assisting drivers in bypassing the construction area.

Motorists in Aberdeen should follow the detour signs on Amboy Avenue, also known as County Road 6, directing travelers through the Prospect Avenue intersection and by signs to the Shore Concourse to access Route 35 as an alternate route.

Travelers in Keyport should follow detour signs on West Front Street -also known as County Road 6 - turning onto Broadway to access Route 35.

Bayshore drivers will see a similar view as they await reopening of the Matawan Creek bridge. Photograph by Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press.