Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The new Manahawkin Bay Bridge parellel to the existing high level Manahawkin Bay Bridge (Dornald J.Henderson Memorial Bridge), is now complete, along with various associated improvements to the bridge approaches and surrounding area. Contract 2 is now complete.

Construction on Contracts 3 and 5 began in February 2015 and are nearly complete. Contract 3 rehabilitated the trestle bridges over East Thorofare and West Thorofare along the Route 72 Causeway between the mainland and Long Beach Island, along with various associated improvements.

Contract 4 construction to rehabilitate the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge and the trestle bridge over Hillard's Thorofare is now complete. The entire Manahawkin Bay Bridge superstructure has been removed and replaced.

Contract 5 is now complete and includes the environmental mitigations needed to comply with the environmental permit conditions for the entire project. The project includes wetland creation, mitigation for freshwater wetlands and retrofit of two existing stormwater basins within the Barnegat Bay watershed and public access improvements.

Contract 1 will address safety and operational issues at the Route 72/Marsha Drive Intersection in Stafford Township. This contract will also include operational and drainage improvements in Ship Bottom Borough on Long Beach Island. Two-way traffic will be restored along Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard. Traffic signals along 8th and 9th Streets (Route 72) will be improved. Construction is anticipated to begin in February 2021.

In addition a separate contract (contract 5A) will include the implementation of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation(SAV) mitigation requirements in the Manahawkin Bay to comply with the environmental permit Conditions. The overall goal of this work is to offset losses to SAV through a combination of adaptive management and research to establish and enhance SAV beds within the Barnegat Bay. This contract includes establishing and/or enhancing up to 10 acres of new or existing SAV beds to facilitate recovery efforts and promote resiliency.