Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Bridge opened up to traffic ahead of schedule, without prior word from Monmouth County officials
Update: The Oceanic Bridge between Middletown and Rumson re-opened to vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Wednesday, five days earlier than expected. As of early evening, all barriers and signage had been removed and traffic was traveling across the bridge. Original report, Weds. 2 p.m. Monmouth County officials have confirmed that the Oceanic Bridge is close to being open to traffic. "It is not open yet, but I'm cautiously optimistic," Monmouth County spokeswoman Laura Kirkpatrick said Wednesday afternoon. "I can't say for certain if it will be open to traffic today, but I do know that the engineers are now in the process of trying to get it open. There are some technical tests and adjustments that need to be done to first make sure that…
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Emergency closure ended Saturday afternoon
After Monmouth County engineers examined the problem and were able to ensure safety to motorists after a Thursday morning mudslide onto the road before the Oceanic Bridge, the span was again open to traffic on late Saturday afternoon — until Jan. 7. On Jan. 7, the bridge will close again for an estimated three weeks to add upgraded equipment and new gates, or safety updates, according to county officials. The update installation, officials said, had been pending for some time. Officials also stressed that the emergency closure caused by what they deemed a "slope failure" on the banks of the Navesink on the bridge's Middletown side had nothing to do with the pending Jan. 7 closure or the bridge itself, only the land above it.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Middletown-Rumson bridge closes for upgrades and maintenance work.
Not to be confused with the Thursday emergency Oceanic Bridge shut-down, due to an embankment mudslide, long-planned safety upgrades to the bridge are coming soon, and so is another bridge closure. On Jan. 7, Monmouth County will begin its slated project to upgrade the safety systems on the bridge, which connects Rumson and Middletown. The work requires the closure of the bridge to vehicles and pedestrian traffic during the estimated three-week work period that is expected to conclude on Jan. 28. The bridge’s roadway will be closed so the contractor, IEW Construction Group, can replace safety gates and perform other upgrades and maintenance work. “This work is required because the existing equipment is outdated and replacement parts are …
Friday, December 28, 2012
The present emergency closure is unrelated to a scheduled closure set for Jan. 7
When it comes to the Oceanic Bridge closure, there are two separate issues that officials say have been somehow lumped together: the present emergency closure; and a coming closure to address what have been "long scheduled upgrades." "They are two entirely separate matters; and, one has nothing to do with the other," Monmouth County Spokeswoman Laura Kirkpatrick said on Friday afternoon. "The present closure is an emergency closure not related to the span itself. Another closure has been slated for Jan. 7 and has been in the works for some time. During that distinctly different closure, safety upgrades will be made, such as the replacement of barrier gates. The timetable (of roughly three weeks) is dependent upon weather conditions." …
Thursday, December 27, 2012
The bridge between Middletown and Rumson will remain closed until a fix is in place.
The Oceanic Bridge closed Thursday morning and will remain closed until a fix is in place for what was deemed a "slope failure" on the Middletown side, said Monmouth County Principal Engineer Aiman Eltohamy. "Nothing is wrong with the bridge itself," the engineer said. "The embankment (or slope) of land on the side next to the road (near Navesink River Road) just let go. It's a very high embankment, and its face let go and fell into the roadway, leaving dirt and brush all over. "It was cleaned up this morning by county personnel and a temporary fix was put in place, but due to the potential of more failure, we just had to close the road (and entry to bridge on both Rumson and Middletown sides)," Eltohamy said. Hurricane Sandy's effects …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Advance notice needed to schedule openings for brief intervals at Shark River, Oceanic, Sea Bright-Rumson and Glimmer Glass bridges
- NEWS
-
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Marine traffic will be able to exit Monmouth County waterways during brief intervals starting Friday. A county release said a limited schedule is necessary for the following bridges until power is fully restored: To make arrangements to have the Oceanic, Shark River and/or Sea Bright-Rumson bridges opened, call Jon Moren at 732-431-7760. “There are many residents who are understandably concerned about moving their boats in and out of our marinas however, our primary responsibility remains the safety of the general public and assisting the towns with cleanup and recovery efforts,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “We are also working closely with the Coast …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Debris stuck in the moveable span's gears deemed the cause for the drawbridge to be stuck in the upright position on both the Rumson and Middletown sides for about an hour this morning
If you were planning to cross the Oceanic Bridge earlier this morning, your plans were foiled for about an hour, but the bridge is now open to traffic again, according to Monmouth County officials. "The closure was required when a minor maintenance issue occurred during a regular bridge opening," an email from the county said. "The bridge operator discovered debris on the gear that opens and closes the bascule span. County bridge staff responded, cleared the debris, tested the bridge and reopened the bridge to vehicle traffic." The drawbridge was stuck open in the upright position on both its Rumson and Middletown sides for roughly one hour, from shortly after 9 to roughly 10:15 a.m. In Rumson, all lanes at Bingham Avenue headed toward the…
Friday, May 18, 2012
Officials and residents gathered for the opening ceremony on the bridge
It was a beautiful day for a bridge re-opening. After seven months of repair work and a gathering, replete with speeches and ribbon cutting, the historic Oceanic Bridge did something this morning it hasn’t done all those months — it opened, to many smiles, sighs of relief and gasps of amazement at the sight so close up. Officials, dignitaries and residents of both Rumson and Middletown stood right at the foot of the revamped 98-foot moveable portion as horns sounded and each side of the freshly painted green drawbridge rose, marking the official opening of the span to traffic. “Wow,” Rumson Mayor John Ekdahl said. “After all these years, this is the first time I’ve ever seen it open so close-up. This is a first for me. And, I also got to …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Does anyone know what classic film, starring Doris Day, featured a clip of her driving over the bridge? Tell us in the comments section below.
The re-opening of the Oceanic Bridge is considered a big reason to celebrate, especially for Rumson, Fair Haven and Middletown residents. And everyone will have their chance to do just that at the official ribbon cutting and re-opening ceremony, hosted by area and Monmouth County Officials, at 10 a.m. on Friday morning on the bridge. The 98-foot drawbridge span of the 2,754-foot-long historic art deco bridge closed in mid-October for a complete overhaul. Work on what is called the bascule (moveable) span included: installation of a new grid deck, replacement and rehabilitation of deck support steel, beams and catwalk. Rust was also removed and metal was sanded and repainted. County officials promised the bridge would re-open in time for …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Opening to come a bit sooner than anticipated
It’s news that Rumson, Fair Haven and Middletown residents have anxiously awaited. The Oceanic Bridge, which connects Rumson and Middletown over the Navesink River, is opening sooner than anticipated — mid-morning on Friday, May 18. Recently Monmouth County Engineer Joseph Ettore told Patch that due to the good weather, he anticipated the opening to come before Memorial Day, perhaps sooner. The sooner has become a reality. The drawbridge part, or 98-foot moveable bascule span, of the bridge was deteriorating and in urgent need of repair. A complete revamp of the 2,752-foot-long, 72-year-old art deco style drawbridge will come in the next couple of years. Until then, "this repair work extends the usable life of this bridge," Freeholder …
Paul Sully
2:02 pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012
We as Middletown or Monmouth county tax payers should not have to pay for repair. The people that live above slide should pay because they remove trees so they could have a view. more ›