Monmouth County celebrated the completion of the new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge with a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday. The $138-million project was funded through the NJTPA’s Local Capital Project Delivery Program.
This is the first bridge to successfully complete the program – from concept development through construction – since its inception.
“Just a few years ago, we were gathered here breaking ground on this ambitious project. At that time, I said how proud I was to be able to put a shovel in the ground to get this important work underway,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, who represents the county on the NJTPA Board. “Today, I’m even prouder to stand here as we prepare to cut the ribbon on a modern, safer, and more resilient movable bridge that will serve our residents, businesses, visitors, and emergency responders for generations to come.”
The new bridge, which opened to traffic Thursday afternoon, was built alongside the old span so that people could travel between Sea Bright and Rumson throughout the project. The old bridge will be dismantled.
“The Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge is a great example of how we help our partners put federal dollars to work at the local level,” said Sascha Frimpong, the NJTPA’s Director of Local Project Development. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Monmouth County to advance needed infrastructure projects.”
Frimpong noted this is just one of many projects the NJTPA is providing federal funding for in Monmouth County. The Oceanic Bridge, spanning the Navesink River between Rumson and Middletown, is in the preliminary engineering phase of the Local Capital Project Delivery Program.
Monmouth County also actively participates in the NJTPA’s Local Safety and High Risk Rural Roads programs, which provide funding for substantive safety solutions to improve safety on county roads. One example is several phases of improvements to Stage Coach Road in Millstone and Upper Freehold Township.
“As you’ve heard, we can accomplish a lot when we work together and the NJTPA looks forward to continuing its partnership with Monmouth County,” Frimpong said.