Route 72 Hilliards Thorofare
Bridge to undergo traffic shift today

Traffic will be shifted to reconstruction of north side bridge

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced a traffic shift on the Hilliards Thorofare Bridge to Long Beach Island as the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project advances. 

On Thursday, February 16,  NJDOT's contractor, Schiavone Construction Co., began to shift traffic to the north side of the Hilliards Thorofare Bridge, maintaining two lanes of traffic in each direction through the work zone. The shift will be completed by Friday, February 17 and will permit the reconstruction of the southern side of the trestle bridge. This new traffic pattern will remain in effect until later this summer.

Work on the $350 million Route 72/Manahawkin Bay Bridge project was started in 2013 and is expected to continue through 2020. The 3-mile long causeway links Stafford on the mainland with Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island. 

As part of the project, a new bridge has been constructed parallel to the existing one over Manahawkin Bay, providing the safety of a redundant route on or off the island. The new bridge is 2,400 feet long with a vertical clearance of 55 feet over Manahawkin Bay. It currently has two lanes in each direction while the original Causeway Bridge is being rehabilitated. Ultimately, it will function as the bridge for eastbound traffic once the project is completed. For more information NJDOT developed a project-specific website. 

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 construction updates and real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.