H&H has completed the Local Concept Development (LCD) study, the preliminary engineering, and the final design to replace the Rumson-Seabright Bridge (Str. # S-32) over the Shrewsbury River. Construction has begun and will be completed in 2024, with H&H leading the construction support services. The new wider double-leaf bascule bridge will be constructed approximately 85 feet to the south of the existing bridge. It will have two eastbound lanes, one westbound lane with shoulders, and sidewalks on both sides to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.
The existing bridge was built in 1950. It is 661 feet long, 52.4 feet wide with a curb-to-curb width of 40 feet, 5-foot- wide sidewalks on each side, and comprised of nine riveted steel deck girder-floor beam approach spans with a double-leaf steel girder trunnion bascule main span. It carries a 20-foot-wide roadway of Rumson Road in each direction. The bridge, which serves as one of two emergency evacuation routes in times of flooding and coastal storms, was deemed to be in serious overall condition and structurally deficient due to the superstructure’s poor condition.
Under the Federally-funded LCD study, work efforts included data collection, traffic studies; survey/mapping; utility coordination; determining right-of-way impacts, scour and hydraulic vulnerability evaluations, environmental screening, and public outreach. A well-defined Project Purpose and Need Statement was prepared, as were an alternatives matrix and the Concept Development Report.
The Rumson Road/Ward Avenue intersection configuration will be revised to include exclusive left-turn lanes for both eastbound and westbound traffic. Rumson Road will be realigned, and the signalized intersection with Route 36 will be relocated to the south. Bike lanes and sidewalks will be provided for both sides of Rumson Road and Route 36 on the bridge’s Seabright side. West Park on the bridge’s Rumson side will undergo improvements, including an ADA-compliant pedestrian walkway under the bridge, interpretive signage, and fencing along Rumson Road. The existing bridge will be open to vehicular, bike, and pedestrian traffic during construction and the navigational channel will remain open to boats/mariners. The existing bridge will be demolished upon completion of the new bridge.
