DOT Again Closes Rt. 71 Bridge

The New Jersey Department of Transportation will close the Route 71 bridge spanning the Shark River for three consecutive nights this week, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty reports.

Doherty explained that the DOT notified him of the closure, which will begin Tuesday night, on Monday morning.

The bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

This closing comes in the wake of nearly eight months of continuous closure on the span.

The bridge closed in October as the DOT began a multi-million dollar rehabilitation of the crossing's mechanical and electrical systems.

Aside from a one day opening for the Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade, the span remained closed until May. While DOT officials had originally suggested that the bridge would not be fully operational until July, prodding from local elected officials and legislators allowed the project to be completed in time for Memorial Day Weekend.