The West Front Bridge connecting Red Bank and Middletown will close for construction Monday, Jan. 5. Be sure to plan an alternate route this weekend, because it won't reopen until about May 17.

West Front St. Bridge by Mapquest.com
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West Front St. Bridge by Mapquest.com

 

Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas Arnone says the project is something people will have to "be time sensitive on in getting to work and getting home from work."

The bridge will undergo a federally-funded 21.9 million dollar replacement program, that will repair and update the structure over the next five months. The finished product will have two 12-foot travel lanes for motor vehicles, four-foot shoulders, and six-foot sidewalks in both directions, and will be newly decorated with features like ornamental lighting. Minor adjustments will also be made to the bridge's roadway approach, including highway lighting, road widening, new guide rail treatments, and improved storm water drainage.

According to Monmouth County Spokeswoman Laura Kirkpatrick, around 17,000 cars travel this span daily.

Arnone says despite the inconvenience, "it's something that is well needed, and at the end of the day, this will be a major enhancement to that area."

Read the County's full press release here.

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