Manahawkin Bay Bridge (Long Beach Island Bridges) Public Hearing

A Public Hearing and Information Center for the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges Project will be held Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 2 to 6 pm at

Stafford Township Municipal Building
260 East Bay Avenue
Manahawkin, NJ

All of the following information is from the New Jersey Department of Transportation

The recently completed Route 72 Deck Rehabilitation Project was a separate project to repair the deck and provide a sealing overlay on the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge to extend the life of the deck until the major bridge rehabilitation is completed.

Improvements made:

• Patch and make necessary repairs to the deteriorated concrete bridge deck
• Make repairs to the concrete curb where necessary
• Make some repairs to the safety walk
• Resurface the patched and repaired traffic lanes of the bridge through a process of power cleaning, a primer coat, an acrylic deck slurry overlay, an aggregate cover layer, and a top coat sealer; re-stripe the lanes
• Mill, overlay, and re-stripe the approach roadways immediately east and west of the bridge; all while minimizing impacts on Long Beach Island’s traffic.

Project Need

The purpose of this project is to keep the Route 72 Causeway and approach roadways in sound condition to provide continuous, effective vehicular access to the Long Beach Island communities. It also aims to maintain a suitable coastal evacuation route on and off the island and to maintain maritime passage in the Intercostals Waterway during and after construction.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has developed the following list of goals and objectives for this project:

• Minimize impacts to natural and cultural resources including those caused by temporary construction activities.
• Reduce risks associated with sudden structural failure caused by natural or manmade threats.
• Provide pedestrian and bicycle compatibility.
• Protect workers and motorists in construction zones.
• Minimize construction durations.
• Select an approach with affordable capital and life cycle costs.
• Provide public access and recreational opportunities to the waterfront.
• Provide required mitigation for unavoidable environmental impacts.

Consider energy consumption by lighting and pump station operations and consider carbon emissions and particulates related to construction.

Why is the work necessary?

All four bridges exhibit severe deterioration and are outdated. The recently completed deck resurfacing project will extend the life of the deck until the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge rehabilitation is completed after the proposed new parallel Manahawkin Bay Bridge is constructed.

Age and deterioration of the structures, increased marine and highway traffic, and the potential for storms to disrupt normal operations are some of the reasons why these bridges need to be rehabilitated.

Age and Deterioration

The existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge and three trestle bridges along Route 72 are over 50 years old. Their serviceable life without major rehabilitation is limited based on their existing conditions and the increasing expenditures of tax dollars for necessary repairs. The continuing development of fatigue cracks in the floor beams of the Manahawkin Bay Bridge requires replacement of its floor and deck system. The chipping and cracking of the pier caps of the three trestle bridges requires extensive retrofitting for these bridges. It is more cost effective to perform a major rehabilitation than to continue repairing the bridges as problems develop.

Deterioration of the girders of the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge.

Three trestle bridges will be rehabilitated as part of the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges Project.

 
Traffic

 Highway traffic on Route 72 to Long Beach Island has increased with additional population and the popularity of the shore areas. The combination of increased recreational and commuter traffic causes more congestion on the bridges and its access roads, which also hampers access for emergency vehicles. The project will provide wider lanes and shoulders on Route 72 and improvements to Marsha Drive to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion. Additionally, constructing a new parallel Manahawkin Bay Bridge will provide redundancy for the bridge crossing that can be used during a possible emergency and/or for future maintenance and rehabilitation of either of the twin bridges.

Storms

Route 72 is a coastal evacuation route and is a vital link as the only access point to and from Long Beach Island. The improvements will allow better traffic flow, shoulders for increased safety and emergency access, continuous sidewalk access from the mainland to Long Beach Island, and relief from storm-related drainage issues in Ship Bottom.

Long Beach Island is an important summer tourist destination and therefore is vital to the economic viability of the region. Economic activity and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) depend upon the availability and efficiency of the Route 72 Causeway.

Proposed Improvements

The Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges Project involves the construction of a new structure parallel to and south of the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge, rehabilitation of the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge, and the rehabilitation of three trestle bridges over Hilliards Thorofare, East Thorofare, and West Thorofare. Other planned improvements include:

A six-foot sidewalk on the westbound (north) side of Route 72, with connections to communities and points of interest on the south side of the roadway;

Bicycle accommodations, including wider outside shoulders on the twin Manahawkin Bay Bridges and five-foot bike lanes on the trestle bridges;

• Improvements to the intersection of Route 72 and Marsha Drive in Stafford Township to alleviate seasonal traffic delays; and
• Intersection improvements in Ship Bottom, designed to improve traffic flow for both north/south traffic on Long Beach Island and along 8th and 9th Streets, and drainage improvements to improve access during heavy rainfalls and high tide events.

The existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge is on the left
and the proposed twin bridges are on the right.

The project may also include environmental impact mitigation measures, if required based upon the findings of the Environmental Assessment (EA). The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) will also look for ways to improve public access to the waterfront, including areas for fishing and crabbing. The “String of Pearls” lighting formerly seen on the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge at night will be replicated on both the existing and new Manahawkin Bay Bridges using current technology to improve reliability.

Preliminary Design Phase

The Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges Project is currently in the Preliminary Design Phase and is undergoing an Environmental Assessment (EA) process. The purpose of this phase is to deliver projects with a well-defined project need and a recommended Preferred Alternative that has been environmentally screened and has received community support. Preliminary Design and the EA process includes the following major elements:

• A defined Project Purpose and Needs Statement;
• An analysis of physical deficiencies;
• Environmental screening;
• Community outreach;
• Evaluation of alternatives;
• Selection of a Preferred Alternative;
• Definition of potential concepts, limits and/or complementary strategies as well as construction staging and phasing opportunities;
• Address community design concerns/aesthetic opportunities;
• Order of magnitude cost estimate.

The project is currently in Preliminary Design, with construction likely to start in 2012 and continue until 2017. Since Route 72 is vital to the tourist economy, four lanes of traffic will be provided continuously during construction in the summer months.

Feasibility Assessment Phase –Completed in 2007

Environmental Studies (EA) Phase –up to December 2010

Design Phase(s) – Summer 2012

Construction Phase(s) – Fall 2012-2017