With the impending overnight closing of the Oceanic Bridge for the next month or so, Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect decided to take a look back at a fun time of fame for the bridge.
So, the Retro Pic of the Day captures a moment on film of Doris Day and Rock Hudson crossing the bridge in the movie Pillow Talk.
Yes, that’s the Oceanic — the 76-year-old 1940s Art Deco style bridge.
Remember the scene in the movie?
Rumson-Fair Haven area residents were reminded in Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect’s weekly update on Monday that starting Tuesday night, and every night through April, 30, the Oceanic Bridge will be closed for repairs overnight from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m..
The bridge will be open during the day, with alternating single-lane closures from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Monmouth County officials advise taking alternate routes or be forewarned that traffic will be delayed during these hours.
From the latest county release … “The Oceanic Bridge schedule, weather permitting, Sunday through Friday mornings, from (on or about) March 24 to April 30 will be:
• 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. — both bridge lanes open to all traffic;
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. — single lane closure with alternating lanes of vehicular traffic;
• 2 to 6 p.m. — both bridge lanes open to all traffic;
• 6 to 10:30 p.m. — single lane closure with alternating lanes of vehicular traffic.
Happy Monday, Rumson-Fair Haven area friends and fans!
OK, so spring has not exactly sprung as we would have liked quite yet, but it looks like there’s hope of some sort, soggy as it may be, for a rise in temps as the week progresses. Please!
In the meantime, it’s a chilly start to the week today.
There are Borough Council meetings in both Rumson and Fair Haven this week. Fair Haven’s meeting is Monday night at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall. Click here for the agenda. Rumson’s meeting is Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Borough Hall. Click here for that agenda.
Taking a look back at last week, here are some tidbits from the notebook the likes of which your editor is going to start sharing on a weekly basis:
The following is an edited press release from Monmouth County:
Oceanic Bridge repairs are scheduled to start on Monday morning with an estimated completion date of mid-April; and, with them traffic delays are anticipated with scheduled lane and overnight full bridge closures,
The drawbridge, which spans the Navesink River between Rumson and Middletown, will undergo repair work to its structural steel and concrete deck beginning about 9 a.m..
To complete the work and keep the bridge open to traffic during peak traffic hours, the county has developed a staggered schedule to coordinate repairs with corresponding lane closures and fully operational and closed times.
Single lane closures during the mid-day and early evening hours will facilitate vehicular and pedestrian traffic. A full overnight closure will also be in place from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The schedule for fully operational times, lane closures and full closure is as follows:
• 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., both bridge lanes open to all traffic;
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. , single lane closure with alternating lanes of vehicular traffic;
• 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., both bridge lanes open to all traffic;
• 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., single lane closure with alternating lanes of vehicular traffic;
• and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. , bridge closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic
For marine traffic, seasonal rules and scheduling will be in effect.
“This work must be done to keep the Oceanic Bridge in working condition during its regular operating season,” said Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering in the release. “We appreciate the patience of the travelling public while we work to keep the bridge operational and get the necessary work completed.”
The staggered times will allow contractor George Harms Construction Co., Inc,. of Howell, to perform the required work above and below the bridge deck.
Motorists may want to plan an alternate route.
Motor vehicle traffic on Bingham Avenue between Rumson and Middletown should travel east and north through Sea Bright and Highlands to Middletown.
Motor vehicle traffic on Navesink River Road and Locust Point Road in Middletown should travel east and south through Middletown, Highlands and Sea Bright to Rumson.
On the heels of what was a major, albeit bandaid, fix to a portion of the corroding Oceanic Bridge, Monmouth County officials have gotten a boost via state funding to undertake the appropriate studies to rehabilitate or replace the entire structure.
The 2016 $600,000 “concept development study” of the county-owned 2,712 foot Oceanic span between Rumson and Middletown over the Navesink River was one of five approved last week by the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA).
The drawbridge, built in 1939, has been targeted as one in need of replacement and/or major revamp for several years now. In 2012, major repairs to the 98-foot bascule span, or moveable drawbridge part, of the bridge was refurbished.
But, even then, officials said that that was only a temporary fix. A permanent solution, they had said, was the only answer.
Options for rehab and/or replacement have been bandied about. But, for years now, there has been a large contingent of people adamantly opposed to replacement with a fixed, higher structure. The opposition to that slightly cheaper plan have felt it would be an injustice to bridge’s historic integrity and make it more difficult to be used by pedestrians and bicyclists.
The bridge’s capacity to carry its maximum load of vehicles, too, has consistently diminished with its age and consequential deterioration from wear and tear and salt water submersion.
So, the need for a permanent plan has become more imminent and potentially costly, county officials have said.
As a result of the fiscal year 2016 NJTPA program grant, the door will be open for construction costs to be covered by federal funds.
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