Matawan Road/CR 516 over Route 18 Bridge
deck replacement requires detour in Old Bridge

Matawan Road westbound
detour needed for start of construction

(Trenton) –New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the closure and detour of Matawan Road westbound for the start of the Matawan Road/CR516 over Route 18 Bridge Deck Replacement project in Middlesex County.

Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, February 27 and continuing for approximately six months, NJDOT’s contractor Halmar International LLC, will close and detour the westbound lane on Matawan Road/CR516 as reconstruction work begins on the bridge deck.

The $2.6 million federal and state funded project will replace the structurally deficient bridge deck on a four-span bridge structure built in 1959, perform limited work on the approaching roadways and perform limited repair work on the bridge. By implementing a Matawan Road westbound traffic detour utilizing Route 18, NJDOT expects to accelerate the reconstruction project and maintain an anticipated completion date of winter 2016. Bridge traffic will remain open to passenger vehicles traveling eastbound on Matawan Road/CR516.

After work on the westbound lane is completed, construction will shift onto the eastbound lane of the bridge. The newly reconstructed westbound lane of the bridge will accommodate one travel lane in each direction until the project is complete.

Emergency vehicles will be have controlled access to the signaling system over the bridge to respond to incidents as necessary. The following detour will be in place for Matawan Road/CR516 westbound for approximately six months:

Matawan Road/CR516 westbound detour:
 

• Vehicles will be routed from CR516 westbound to Route 18 northbound.  
• Traffic will then follow Route 18 northbound for 0.6 miles to the reverse jughandle at the intersection with Hillsdale Road to make a U-turn.
• The detour route then proceeds on Route 18 southbound to the exit ramp for CR516/CR527 where it ends on the west side of the bridge.

Variable message signs and lane closure signs are being utilized throughout the project limits to provide advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the deck replacement project. Throughout the project, NJDOT will provide information before upcoming road closures.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.