By Elaine Van Develde

People in the area knew it was coming — a four-month West Front Street Bridge closure.

But, right now, with plans long in the works to replace the bridge, which spans from Red Bank to Middletown, Monmouth County officials today announced that there would be intermittent lane closures in the area in preparation of what has now been determined to be a Jan. 2 shut-down of the span.

Until that closure, county officials announced in a release, “there will be intermittent lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Hubbard Avenue and other roads on the Middletown side” of the 92-year-old bridge.

Assuring that the completed new bridge will be open by Memorial Day, Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas Arnone said at a meeting in Fair Haven that the project is “moving along in a timely fashion on schedule … But we will have a time when it’s going to be a little difficult when we close the bridge.”

The work will entail the detouring of traffic away from West Front Street, the release said. Signed detours will be in place.

The new $21.7 million bridge during that closure time will be tied into to the Red Bank and Middletown shorelines while the old bridge, which the new structure was built next to, will be removed, Monmouth County Engineer Joseph Ettore said at the meeting.

“Construction was completed offline to minimize (detours and traffic delays),” he added. “So, the closing is absolutely essential.”

Most of the funds for the completely replaced bridge, which carries an average traffic flow of 17,000 vehicles, were secured from federal sources, with $7 million coming from the state, Arnone said.

The new structure will be 44 feet wide with two 12-foot travel lanes, six-foot sidewalks in both directions and four-foot shoulders.

The bridge contractor is Agate Construction, of Ocean View.