Presentations Explain Future of Sea Bright Bridge

Posters of comments, pictures and future steps decorated the Sea Bright Municipal Building on Monday to gave community members a glimpse into the future of the Sea Bright-Rumson Bridge.  

Two presentation were given on Feb. 27 to allow the community to get an inside look at the options surrounding the bridge and gave the public an outlet to ask questions.

The entire team working on the bridge project was present at the meeting. Although only in the very early stages of the project, the team explained that the bridge needs repairs and could potentially be overhauled. The team continued to explain that much more research needs to be done before a decision needs to be made between repairs and an overhaul. Throughout the presentation, team members expressed that the public’s opinions are wanted throughout the process.

Currently, multiple agencies are working on the process including the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), the New Jersey Department of Transportation ( NJDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and other groups are needed to make the final decision, including the public.

Many concerns from the community involved costs and the time line for the potential process. To answer both of those concerns, team members explained that more research needs to be done. One point brought up during the presentation was the fact that the bridge is owned by the county. Since the costs needed for the bridge are expensive, federal funding would be needed. During the presentation, the team explained in the presentation that repairs to the bridge is estimated at $10 million while the overhaul of the bridge could cost $50 million. 

Only in the first of four phases, more public meetings are to come and will be announced in advance. For more information, go to www.visitmonmouth.com.