Expect detours along the Midstreams Bridge in Brick Township

Another road project is underway in Ocean County.

Northbound traffic on the original Midstreams Bridge will be shifted onto the new Midstreams Bridge in Brick Township.

County officials are replacing the existing Midstreams bridge which has stood since 1962 at 131-feet long, 35-feet wide and covers the Beaver Dam Creek in Brick.

It was built on the support of concrete pile caps founded on timber poles with timber bulkheading.

"The traffic switch allows us to begin the demolition of the remainder of the original bridge," Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly, liaison to the county's Engineering Department said. "The switch continues to provide the one lane of traffic in the northbound direction while the contractor Midlantic Construction, Barnegat Township, works on the bridge replacement."

County officials say the existing timber piles and timber bulkhead substructure have showed signs of advanced deterioration while the existing concrete pile caps exhibited moderate section loss.

The bridge deck width is also substandard given the increased traffic volumes.

Once completed, the new bridge will be a 111-feet long single span structure consisting of adjacent precast concrete box beams, supported on full height reinforced concrete abutments, founded on cast-in-place steel pipe piles and concrete footings.

The width of the new structure will be 49-feet and include a 40-feet curb-to-curb cart way along with a 6-foot wide sidewalk on the west side.

The proposed bridge rail will be a 4-bar galvanized steel with cast-in-place concrete pylons.

Included in the scope is the extensive installation of steel sheet bulkheading, revised roadway profile and upgraded guide rail.

The bridge replacement work is expected to be completed by February 2019.

"The new bridge will be a safer span for both motorists and pedestrians," Kelly said.

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