NJDOT announces overnight closures of
Route 88 bridge over Point Pleasant Canal

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced that the Route 88 bridge over Point Pleasant Canal in Point Pleasant Borough, Ocean County will be closed to traffic for several nights this week.

Beginning Tuesday night, September 28, the closures will be in effect nightly from 10 p.m. to approximately 4 a.m., for approximately four nights between now and Tuesday, October 5. No closures will take place over the weekend. The closures will allow for repairs to the steel bulkhead on the eastern side of the vertical-lift bridge. The construction is being performed by the Army Corps of Engineers and is weather-dependent. Waterway traffic will not be impeded by the construction.

NJDOT enacted similar closures in June for work on the western side of the bridge.

NJDOT will employ variable message signs on Route 88 to alert motorists of the bridge closures and detour. The following detours will be in place during the closures:

• Route 88 eastbound motorists will take Beaver Dam Road (CR 630) to Bridge Avenue east to Bay Avenue to Route 88 eastbound.

• Route 88 westbound motorists will take Bay Avenue to Bridge Avenue west to Beaver Dam Road to Route 88 westbound.

The Route 88 Bridge is located over the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), a protected 3,000-mile inland water highway that runs from Maine to Texas. The United States Coast Guard requires that NJDOT open the bridge ‘on demand’ of any approaching craft.

The ICW was created in the 1800’s by an act of Congress as an aid to coastal shipping. Although today its use is mainly recreational, the ICW is still maintained to high standards by the federal government. The Army Corps of Engineers does the dredging and the Coast Guard monitors the buoys and channel markers.

Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.