Potential New Name for Route 35 Bridge Upsets Veterans Groups

It was a move that was never intended to cause controversy.

In June, state Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski of Middlesex County introduced a bill that would name the Route 35 bridge over the Manasquan River after Robert A. Briant, Sr., a long-time Manasquan and Point Pleasant resident who served as Chief Executive Officer of the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association of New Jersey for 34 years. Brian died in March.

A bipartisan group of legislators quickly signed on as co-sponsors, including local assembly members Sean T. Kean, Dave Rible and David Wolfe. The state senate's version of the bill also attracted bipartisan support, including that of Senators Paul Sarlo of Bergen County and James Holzapfel and Jennifer Beck of Ocean and Monmouth counties, respectively.

The problem: the bridge already has – or had, depending on who you ask – a name.

In 1953, the state legislature decided to call the span the Veterans of All Wars Bridge. Signs were erected at each side, in Brielle and Point Pleasant Beach, by the state Department of Transportation, and those with a keen eye have spotted the memorials ever since.

In reality, the bridge hasn't been called the Veterans of All Wars Bridge since Dec. 31, 1953 – at least not officially.

"Because it was a concurrent resolution, at the end of that legislative session the name expired but the signage was never taken down," said Joseph M. Gugliuzza, Legislative Chairman for the New Jersey Department of the American Legion.

So when Gugliuzza heard that the bridge was going to be named – again – he started an e-mail campaign to convince elected officials that the span's de facto name should remain in place, this time permanently.

"We have veterans driving over that bridge all year round, and especially in the summer, seeing that and knowing the bridge is named after them," said Gugliuzza.

"When I signed onto the bill, I didn't know it had been called something related to veterans," said Kean, a Republican who represents the the bridge's northern shore in Brielle. "As far as whether or not I'm going to keep my sponsorship intact, I'm going to look at it again and see where things stand."

Gugliuzza said he has contacted Wisniewski's office and spoken with his staffers who told him the naming flap was a "misunderstanding" and the bill would be pulled from the legislative docket.

"His staff told me they didn't realize there was already a name, that they just wanted to honor [Briant], and the bill would be pulled," said Gugliuzza. "I'm still waiting to hear."

As of Tuesday, both the Assembly and Senate versions of the bill remained active. Wisniewski did not return to a call to his press office by Patch on Tuesday seeking comment.

"We have a while to think about it," said Kean, predicting the bill would not see the light of day in the short term since the state legislature is currently in the midst of its summer recess.

Still, Gugliuzza is hoping the bill will not be "fast-tracked" through the legislative process once members of both bodies return this fall.

News of the bill spread rapidly through Legion halls and VFW posts throughout the state after Gugliuzza started an e-mail chain. A number of the chain messages were forwarded to Patch.

Kean said there could be a future discussion on potentially honoring both veterans as well as the local transportation leader, however Gugliuzza's goal is the formal naming of the bridge, one which fell short of coming to fruition in 1953.

"I've been doing this job for about five years, and it never ceases to amaze me how many twists and turns there are," Gugliuzza said.