County to Close Glimmer Glass Bridge for Repairs

The Glimmer Glass Bridge on Brielle Road in Manasquan will close for up to three weeks beginning Monday, April 25.

The Monmouth County Department of Transportation will undertake a repair project on the aging drawbridge.

“The scheduled repair consist of an in-kind replacement of the original steel trunnion pins,” county engineer Joseph M. Ettore said in a press release. “The excessive wear and age of the bridge’s original steel pins caused operational issues that require this work.”

The county is hopeful that the repairs will correct issues and help to prevent the possibility of future bridge failures. The work will be performed by IEW Construction of Trenton and White Marine of Perth Amboy. 

The Glimmer Glass Bridge operates by a rolling counter-weight mechanism and is one of the last bridges of its kind still in operation. The bridge has been placed on New Jersey's Historic Registry.

“The Glimmer Glass bridge repair project is part of the county’s efforts to responsibly maintain its bridge and roadway infrastructure and to keep traffic moving,” Freeholder Deputy Director John Curley said. “By doing this work now, the bridge will be in good working order in time for the busy summer season.” 

The Brielle Road bridge is one of only three means of reaching the Manasquan beachfront and local officials are worried that delays in the work may have an adverse affect on traffic throughout the borough as the weather gets warmer.

"They do this every spring," Mayor George Dempsey said of the maintenance work required to keep the bridge operational. 

"This is a little longer than normal," the mayor added, noting that the repair work has typically lasted a maximum of 10 days in years past.

"I think it would be a real headache for our residents," Councilman Owen McCarthy said of the bridge closure should it impede on Memorial Day Weekend, which falls May 27 to May 30 this year.

“The county understands the inconvenience these detours will have on motorists and local residents,” said John W. Tobia, director of the county’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “Unfortunately, this work is best completed with the closure of the Glimmer Glass bridge.”