Seeing few north-south corridors for the major influx of traffic for St. Patrick's Day, Belmar will open the hurricane-battered and under-construction Ocean Avenue for parade day.

Currently construction crews are finishig piling work and advancing the boardwalk undersides and decking, and Ocean Avenue remains closed daily to accommodate Epic Construction's equipment and workers.

Before then, the road was closed west of Ocean Avenue to both deter onlookers and cordon off one of the most damaged sections of Belmar after Hurricane Sandy.

But for March 3, the day of the massive St. Patrick's Day Parade, Belmar will allow traffic along Ocean Avenue.

With the day normally seeing a tremendous amount of traffic, keeping Ocean Avenue closed would eliminate two main north-south corridors in town, slowing traffic further, said Mayor Matt Doherty.

Main Street, which is the parade route for a good portion of the day, is closed.

Following the paradegoers' exodus, Ocean Avenue will again close to traffic.

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