Bridge-crossing local residents, commuters and others get to weigh in on matters concerning a couple of drawbridges on the Greater Red Bank Green in coming weeks.
First, there’s an August 4 deadline for comments on which of a dozen alignment and height options should replace the crumbling Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown. The proposals, discussed in this redbankgreen post, can be viewed at a website set up by the Monmouth County Engineering Department.
Replacing the 78-year-old Navesink River span, which Monmouth County officials say is in “critical” condition, would constitute “by far the largest engineering project undertaken by the county in decades,” county Engineer Joe Ettore has said. No timetable or cost has yet been set for the project.
Separately, the Coast Guard is soliciting opinions on how often the the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge, seen at top, should be raised in summer. It now opens twice an hour on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. from May 15 to September 30. But because of increasing vehicular traffic tie-ups in both Rumson and Sea Bright, the county has proposed cutting that to once an hour, and adding Fridays to the rule, according to a posting in the Federal Register.
That bridge is slated for replacement starting in 2020, at an estimated cost of $60 million to $70 million.
(Photos by John T. Ward and Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge)
