Mathis Bridge/Route 37 eastbound
to close tomorrow

Traffic will be shifted onto the Tunney Bridge until Spring

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today reminded motorists the Mathis Bridge/Route 37 eastbound is scheduled to be closed tomorrow through the spring to continue a deck replacement project. Traffic will be shifted onto the Tunney Bridge/Route 37 westbound in Ocean County.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, October 28, NJDOT’s contractor Schiavone Construction Company, is scheduled to begin a traffic shift which will move eastbound traffic on Route 37 to one lane of the westbound side of the Tunney Bridge in Toms River. This shift will close Route 37 at the intersection of Douglas Street just before the Mathis Bridge. Traffic will be shifted back onto Route 37 eastbound after crossing the Tunney Bridge near Sunset Drive on Pelican Island. The jughandle to turn onto Douglas Street in Toms River will remain open. The shift is expected to be completed in the evening on Friday.

No wide loads will be permitted on the eastbound lane of the Tunney Bridge while the Mathis Bridge is closed. Drivers must obtain a permit from the NJDOT, which will direct them to an acceptable alternate route. For more information about oversize loads visit the NJDOT trucking web page.

While the Mathis Bridge is closed, two lanes of traffic westbound and one lane eastbound will be maintained on the Tunney Bridge, separated by a moveable barrier. Should there be a need for an evacuation, all three lanes may be made operational in the westerly direction.  The Mathis bridge will reopen by May 15, 2017 before the busy summer vacation season.

There will be no Mathis Bridge openings for marine traffic between December 1, 2016 and March 15, 2017. This upcoming construction cycle will allow the contractor to rehabilitate the bridge operator’s house, install the new “candy cane” style warning gates, conduct minor electrical work and continue with bridge work from the center bascule to the west.

The eastbound Mathis Bridge and westbound Tunney Bridges are a pair of bridges carrying Route 37 over Barnegat Bay between Toms River and Seaside Heights. The Mathis Bridge, a mile-long double leaf bascule moveable span bridge completed in 1950, is the older of the two and in need of repairs.

The $74 million federally-funded project will replace the existing bridge deck on the Mathis Bridge, which is 66 years old, make safety improvements to the barrier and railings, and repair and replace mechanical and electrical components that operate the moveable lift span.

Construction is anticipated to take place for three seasons and is expected to be completed by the summer 2018. The construction cycle requiring a full closure of the Mathis Bridge will be limited to November 1 to April 30 each year. During each of these construction cycles, summer traffic from approximately May 15 to September 15 will not be affected and all three current lanes on each bridge will be open to traffic.

Community Outreach
NJDOT created a project-specific website that contains a wealth of information about the project, which can be found on the Department’s web site by going to www.NJCommuter.com and selecting Route 37 Mathis Bridge under the Construction Updates bullet. The Department is carefully coordinating the project with local officials to minimize the effect to residents and businesses.

The Department has a Project Community Outreach Team that can be reached through the project hotline telephone number, 732-230-7356, email, DOT-Route37Mathis.outreach@dot.nj.gov, or project website. Anyone who has questions, concerns, or suggestions is encouraged to contact the Project Community Outreach Team as work progresses. To stay informed as the project progresses, send your email to the Community Outreach Team to sign up for project alert emails.

NJDOT will be using Variable Message Signs to provide advance notification to motorists of traffic pattern changes associated with the work.  Follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info and visit www.511nj.org for travel advisories.