def #220

def #220 11/10/10

COUNTY TO REPLACE ROUTE 571 BRIDGE IN JACKSON

TOMS RIVER - Wider shoulders and sidewalks will be part of a new bridge proposed to replace the Route 571 bridge in Jackson Township known locally as the Rova Farms Bridge on Cassville Road.

"The original span was constructed in 1929 and has served the motoring public well," said Freeholder John P. Kelly, Director of Law and Public Safety. "Age has taken its toll however and it’s time to replace the bridge with a new and safer structure."

The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders will advertise for bids on replacing the existing 20-foot long bridge on Cassville Road, which crosses a tributary of the Toms River.

In addition to the replacement of the existing bridge, the project includes the partial reconstruction of the adjacent spillway walls along with reconstruction of the approach roadway leading up to the bridge.

The existing 20 foot long bridge is a cast-in-place slab type with concrete abutment walls supported on timber piles. The existing deck geometry consists of two 12-foot lanes and 2 three-foot shoulders with no sidewalks for a total width of 30 feet.

The proposed bridge will be a precast three-sided box structure, 31 feet long, supported by cast-in-place footings on steel pipe piles. The new bridge deck geometry will consist of two 12-foot lanes, and two 8-foot shoulders, with a 6-foot wide sidewalk on the downstream side. The proposed bridge barrier curb will mimic the existing balustrade "look" to aesthetically comply with the historic nature of the bridge.

"Once completed the new span will be state of the art with greater safety features for the motorists that use it," said Freeholder Director James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to the Ocean County Road Department. "With wider shoulders and a new sidewalk, the span will also be more pedestrian-friendly and will complement this popular area of Jackson Township."

The county does not anticipate any detours during the time of construction since the proposed bridge will be constructed in stages to allow two lanes of traffic at all times. The project is expected to take about 12 to 14 months to complete at a total of about $2 million. The work is expected to begin in the spring of 2011.