TRENTON – NJDOT officials today announced overnight single-lane closures with alternating traffic patterns will be necessary this week on the Route 35 drawbridge over Cheesequake Creek connecting Old Bridge and Sayreville in Middlesex County.
NJDOT’s contractor, Agate Construction Co., is currently rehabilitating the southbound side of the bridge. To accommodate that work, the southbound side of the bridge has been closed since October with two-way traffic shifted onto the northbound travel lanes. Route 35 is currently reduced from two travel lanes in each direction to one travel lane.
On Tuesday night, January 3, the southbound lane will be closed overnight, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning, for the installation of new bridge beams. Depending on the contractor’s progress, single lane closures may be necessary during the same overnight hours on Wednesday, January 4 and Thursday, January 5.
The $25 million project is replacing the bridge decks, sidewalks, railings and median on the 70-year-old structure. The deck joints and structural steel elements will be repaired and the bridge will be repainted. The out-dated electrical/mechanical systems on the movable bascule span will also be rehabilitated and new safety barrier gates will be installed. NJDOT has designed the bridge rehabilitation to be accomplished in stages, working on one side of the bridge at a time. Removing live traffic from the side of the bridge being worked on will facilitate faster and safer rehabilitation operations.
The existing 710-foot long bridge carries approximately 35,000 vehicles per day over the Cheesequake Creek and a Route 35 U-turn ramp. The project is anticipated to be complete by fall 2013.
The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org real-time travel information.
