AVON-BY-THE-SEA/BELMAR — The Route 71/Main Street drawbridge over Shark River connecting Belmar and Avon-By-The-Sea is closed indefinitely to vehicular and pedestrian traffic due to a mechanical failure. The channel remains open to marine traffic.
The nearly century-old bridge, which was closed June 13 after a mechanical malfunction, is slated to be replaced by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in a project expected to begin in 2028.
Currently, the bridge is being held open in the upright position to allow for marine traffic to pass through, as it is legally required to do. The bridge’s north leaf will be lowered and raised occasionally to help in minimizing stress and maintaining the functionality of bridge parts, according to NJDOT.
A timeline for repairs is currently unknown, according to a June 16 announcement from NJDOT Regional Coordinator Sandra Opoku.
“NJDOT’s structural evaluation and drawbridge engineering teams are in the process of determining the extent of necessary repairs and designing a permanent repair as quickly as possible,” the notice states.
“The failure of mechanical components on the 93-year-old Route 71 Bridge over Shark River, built in 1932, is similar to last year,” it continues.
The bridge was initially closed on June 13 due to mechanical failure on the south bridge leaf, according to an NJDOT traffic advisory on that date.
SECOND YEAR IN A ROW
In March 2024, the bridge experienced a similar mechanical malfunction to its north leaf that left the bridge non-operational and closed to vehicular traffic for several months, continuing past Memorial Day weekend. According to the traffic advisory, the north leaf that was repaired last year is operational.
At Tuesday night’s Belmar Borough Council meeting, Business Administrator Kevin Kane provided attendees and council members with an update on the bridge status, after talking with NJDOT officials earlier that afternoon.
According to Kane, the NJDOT received a call on the night of Thursday, June 12, around 10 p.m., that the bridge was locked in a closed position and unable to open. On Friday, the NJDOT mobilized a crane to open the bridge to allow for marine traffic to pass through.
Kane said that as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the NJDOT did not know the cause or extent of the damage to the bridge, as engineers and contractors are still assessing the bridge’s condition.
In a press release, Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said, “The extended closure of the Route 71 bridge is deeply concerning and undeniably disruptive for residents, businesses and visitors who rely on this important connection between Belmar and Avon-By-The-Sea, especially during the summer months. This situation highlights the critical importance of ongoing, proactive maintenance of our aging infrastructure.”
LOCAL REACTION
Avon-By-The-Sea Mayor Edward Bonanno told The Coast Star Monday that it was a “very unpleasant surprise” to have learned of the bridge failure Friday afternoon.
Both Mayor Bonanno and Belmar Mayor Gerald Buccafusco have been in contact with the NJDOT to schedule a meeting to discuss the current status of the bridge and future plans.
“We want to impress upon them the urgency of the situation for our communities and the need to address this situation on an emergency basis,” Mayor Bonanno said of their upcoming joint call with the state.
Belmar and Avon-By-The-Sea officials and business owners issued a joint press release following the bridge closure, calling for swift repairs to the bridge that spans the two boroughs over Shark River.
Mayor Bonanno expressed concern over the effects the bridge’s closure will have on nearby and Main Street businesses.
“This has such an impact on all of our businesses,” he said. “We had the impact from a year ago, last spring, which really, really hurt our businesses and this now is the time of year when the businesses really, really need to do well to support themselves during the winter when business in general is down.”
“This hits them at a particularly hard time,” the mayor added, “so we want to make sure they’re (the state) doing everything they can to expedite whatever repairs they need to make to get the bridge up and running again.”
“Because of the rainy and unseasonable cool temperatures, we’ve already had thousands of fewer visitors to Belmar so far this summer. This bridge closure will be devastating for our small businesses, and so I urge the state to release funds to assist our stores, restaurants and other businesses as quickly as possible,” said Belmar Mayor Buccafusco in the press release.
The Route 71/Main Street drawbridge’s summertime closure and subsequent traffic detour puts a strain on businesses neighboring the bridge, some of which have already begun to feel the effects since the bridge’s closure on Friday night.
“We’re feeling the effects already,” said Joe Connors, owner of Taylor Hardware. “We’re already losing people from the weather, and now people will go over the Route 35 bridge and bypass Belmar altogether. If you’re gonna do it, do it – let’s stop putting a Band-Aid on the bridge and just fix it.”
Claire Morrison, owner of the Macaroon Shop in Avon for the past 24 years said, “Once again we will be effectively at a dead end, as will the north end of Belmar. It would most likely destroy a bunch of businesses. We count on the summer for money for the rest of the year, and to have it close now, indefinitely, is definitely going to affect us in the worst way possible,” citing the low traffic she’s already experiencing at her business.
“Last year when the bridge was closed, we were down 30%,” said Ollie Klein, owner of Klein’s Fish Market, Waterside Cafe & Tiki Bar, which has been his family’s business since 1929. “Because of the weather this May and June, we’re already down 35%, and now with this bridge fiasco, it’s potentially disastrous.”
DETOUR OPTIONS
During the closure and repair period, vehicle traffic has been detoured in two alternate routes.
For the Route 71/Main Street northbound traffic from Belmar to Avon, motorists on Route 71 northbound will be directed to turn left onto Eighth Avenue, turn right on Route 35 and continue over the Route 35/Shark River Bridge and follow signs for Avon.
For the Route 71/Main Street southbound traffic from Avon to Belmar, motorists will be directed to turn right onto Sylvania Avenue, stay right and take the ramp to Route 35 South/Belmar, take the Route 35 bridge over the Shark River into Belmar and turn left onto Eighth Avenue and follow to Main Street.
The borough has already indicated that businesses are open on the electronic signage, and asked the NJDOT to similarly note on the detour signs that businesses continue to remain open through the closure, Mayor Bonanno said.
“We’re going to have to figure out then (based on the closure period) what that is (other temporary remedies),” he said, “and we’re going to be talking with them about how they’re routing traffic…from the standpoint of just not having congestion. We want to make sure that if it’s going to be a longer-term closure, then on Waze and Google Maps, they indicate that the bridge is closed.”
Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website, 511nj.org, for construction updates and real-time travel information.
BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT
Amid two closures in consecutive years, the NJDOT is working toward the complete replacement of the 93-year-old Route 71/Main Street bridge.
The final design is expected to begin next year, with demolition and construction expected to begin in 2028 and reach completion in 2031, according to the press release. The full replacement work will require a complete road closure, a detour and potential ferry service during the four-year project.
NJDOT officials explained at an information session last year that storm damage to the center span lock in 2021 has eliminated the viability of a 2018 plan that would have kept two lanes of bridge traffic open during staged construction. That option had been favored by business owners in Avon and Belmar, which are connected by the bridge.
— Kieran Sullivan contributed to this story.
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