FREEHOLD – Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry announced on Thursday that Monmouth County will work with the boroughs of Manasquan and Brielle to rehabilitate the existing Brielle Road Bridge rather than replace it as had been proposed.

 

“I share your desire to preserve this historic site,” Freeholder Burry said at the freeholders’ public meeting held in Manasquan Thursday night. “As a result of the opposition to replacing the span with a wider bridge, the county would like you to consider a plan that would repair the existing bascule-span bridge portion just as it is today, along with upgrading the approaches.”  

 

The new plan, which still must be approved by the state Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Historic Preservation Commission, would keep the bridge but make Brielle Road a one-way street where it crosses Glimmer Glass. The approaches also would be improved so that a fire truck could pass over it. In the bridge’s current state, only vehicles weighing less than three tons can use it. Fire trucks can weigh more than 20 tons.

 

“We do not want to build a bridge that you don’t want,” Freeholder Burry said. “At the same time, I feel strongly that safety must be the determinable factor.”

 

The county had proposed replacing the bridge with a wider one, better suited for two-way travel, but still retaining the original look and technology. The bridge is one of the last rolling counter-weight, draw-span bridges in operation today, and it is on New Jersey’s Historic Registry.

 

The county held public hearings in Manasquan and Brielle last week to give residents an opportunity to hear the proposals for replacement of the bridge. Many of those who attended voiced their strong opposition to replacing the bridge, asking for another option.

 

County Engineer Joseph Ettore and Department of Public Works & Engineering Director John W. Tobia will meet with officials in both Manasquan and Brielle to discuss the one-way alternative. A resolution stating a preference is needed by June 1 so federal funding is not delayed or withdrawn.     

 

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