Route 35 Bridge Testing Finished

Bridge between Point Beach and Brielle to remain passable

  You'll be able to keep crossing the Route 35 bridge when you come to it. It's been passable since mid-afternoon Wednesday and it looks like it will stay that way. The state says the testing on the bridge is finished, which is good news for those who sat in traffic Wednesday as the bridge was intermittently in the raised position. Contractor crews left the bridge shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday and will not need to return. Contractors for the state Department of Transportation (DOT) were testing the locking mechanisms on the bridge, they ran two or three tests and they were just fine, said DOT spokesman Timothy Greeley on Thursday. "They do not have anything further planned," Greeley said. Acknowledging that not getting the word out to the…

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UPDATE: Route 35 in Mantoloking is Re-opened

An ocean breach had forced a closure from Herbert Street to the Bay Head/Mantoloking border.

  Route 35, from Herbert Street to the Bay Head/Mantoloking border, is re-opened, according to the Mantoloking police department. That section of the state highway that had been compromised by an ocean breach in the wee hours of Thursday morning opened up around 11:05 or 11:10 a.m. today, police said. The Ocean County Road Department and the municipality's emergency contractor, RWV Land & Livestock, will haul sand all day from the state Department of Transportation site in Wall, according to the Mantoloking Office of Emergency Management's Facebook page. "Please use caution when driving around town as sections of East Avenue and Barnegat Lane are still covered with sand and debris," the Facebook post says. The town remains open to …

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Westbound Lanes of Route 88 Bridge Closed Part of Tues. and Wed.

Traffic is shifted into eastbound lanes

Both westbound lanes of the Route 88 bridge in Point Borough are closed today until 3 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the state Department of Transportation (DOT). The traffic will be shifted into the eastbound lanes allowing one lane of traffic in each direction. This work will be coordinated with the ongoing work at this structure by the Army Corps of Engineers, says the DOT. Editor's Note: Patch was not informed of this until this morning and is posting this story shortly after getting the information. Information will be updated if any further information is announced.

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Route 88 Bridge to Stay Open Tonight

Plan to close bridge in Point Pleasant cancelled due to high winds

  The Route 88 bridge will remain open tonight, according to the state Department of Transportation (DOT). The original plan was for the bridge to be closed tonight until 5 a.m. Friday so a contractor for the Army Corps of Engineers could do work. However, "due to higher than normal winds they will not be working tonight and therefore the expected closure of the Rt 88 drawbridge will not be necessary tonight," according to a statement the DOT released Thursday night. Work will be done sometime after New Year's Day.

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You May Not Be Able to Cross that Bridge When You Come to It

Route 88 bridge will be closed three more nights

  The Route 88 bridge in Point Borough will be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Dec. 19 and 26 and Jan. 2. Like the closure this past Monday and Thursday nights, the upcoming closures are due to the Army Corps of Engineers repairing the corroded steel of the bulkhead along the canal, said Steve Rochette, an Army Corps spokesperson. The repairs are part of work that has been ongoing for months and has nothing to do with Superstorm Sandy, Rochette said.

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Route 88 Bridge to be Closed Mon. Night Until Tues. A.M.

Closure from 10 p.m. Mon. until 5 a.m. Tues.

  The Route 88 Bridge over the Point Pleasant Canal in Point Pleasant Borough is scheduled to be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. Monday through 5 a.m. Tuesday. The state Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is closing the bridge overnight to allow for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform necessary underwater work in the Canal at this location. A prepared statement from NJDOT says: "NJDOT will utilize variable message signs on Route 88 to alert motorists of the bridge closures and detour. The following detours will be in place during the closures: •        Route 88 eastbound motorists will take Beaver Dam Road (CR 630) to Bridge Avenue east over the Lovelandtown Bridge to Bay Avenue to Route 88 eastbound. •        Route 88 westbound …

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Wall Man Who Jumped Off Point Boro Bridge Charged

He was charged with disorderly conduct and swimming in the canal

A Wall man who jumped off the Route 88 bridge has been charged with swimming in the canal and disorderly conduct, police said Monday. Devon R. Kuehnen, 34, of the Allenwood section of Wall, suffered only a minor laceration to his nose after jumping from the bridge late Friday night and setting off a massive manhunt that lasted more than two hours, police said. Police, divers, first aid and fire department volunteers searched the canal and surrounding areas before finding Kuehnen safe on a canal bank early Saturday morning, police said. He was charged and released on a summons. Swimming in the canal is prohibited by borough ordinance. A bridge tender called the police at 11:48 p.m. Friday, saying a man had jumped from the bridge, prompting …

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County: New Bedford Road To Be Closed For Two Days

Failed bridge support near Allaire Road to blame for closure

A portion of New Bedford Road will be closed while county road crews mend a failed bridge support near Mill Pond Court, officials said late Monday. New Bedford Road between 18th Avenue and Allaire Road will be closed for the duration of the repair project, expected to last two days, according to a release from the county. Bill Heine, county spokesman, said in a telephone interview late Monday that the closure was to begin immediately. Northbound traffic on New Bedford Road will be detoured west on Allaire Road to Bailey’s Corner Road north to 18th Avenue east. Southbound traffic will be directed west on 18th Avenue to Bailey’s Corner Road south to Allaire Road west, during the length of the repairs, the release said. Crews will be working …

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Fishing Friday

Sea Bass Quota to be Cut, But Winter Flounder Bite Remains Strong

ASMFC decision will significantly cut back on sea bass harvest

I know some of you have probably been thinking in recent weeks, “geez, this is the most depressing fishing column I’ve ever read!” Well, get ready to have your point proven again. We’re about to lose 40 percent of our recreational sea bass quota. Don’t shoot me, hook me or gaff me – I’m just the messenger. A March 28 ruling from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has established new state shares for black sea bass that will see the overall recreational quota reduced. “The 2010 regulations resulted in a preliminary estimated harvest of 2.98 million pounds, approximately 1.15 million pounds above the 2010 target,” said ASMFC spokeswoman Tina Berger in a news release. “Given that the 2010 regulations were not effective in staying…

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