Bridge Demolition

Birders planning to visit Sandy Hook should be aware that half of the Route 36 bridge will be nonexistent.

The state Department of Transportation is replacing the 75-year-old 35-foot tall
drawbridge with a 65-foot tall fixed span bridge. The J. H. Reid Construction Company of South Plainfield was awarded the $1.24 million project in December. The company began the three-year project in February.

The demolition of the southbound side of the bridge will take about two weeks, Bruce Hilling, the borough administrator said on Friday.

As of 6 a.m. today, motorist traveling across the Shrewsbury River via the bridge
were diverted to the northbound lanes. For the next 2• years, there will be one lane in each direction on the bridge.

This bridge was "structurally deficient," as the Department of Transportation would put it, and needed replacement. In the meantime, it will become much harder to visit Sandy Hook. I think summer beach traffic would rule out birding visits, at least from the west.