JACKSON-The Ocean County engineer has provided an update to ongoing bridge project on North Cooksbridge Road to replace a bridge over the Metedeconk River.
The county initially expected construction to be complete by November of 2017, but said unforeseen problems arose such as longer than anticipated concrete curing times that delayed the project into December.
Then the cold weather came.
An arctic blast put the project on hold in December and into January. While the bridge itself is complete, right now the county is playing a waiting game with the weather.
A heavy snowstorm and sub-freezing temperatures effectively shut down all work at the site. The county was able to install the roadway sub-base during small windows of availability in recent weeks.
The county engineering department said road crews cannot pave the roadway until the weather warms up and remains above freezing overnight. Conditions need to be over 32 degrees to pave the road and they’re expecting to have the road open a few days after the next warm spell, which could be as soon as next week.
After the road is paved, all that’s left to do is to install signage and roadside barriers. The road can then be opened until spring.
In the spring, the county will perform the final surface paving, but only anticipates periodic one lane closures to complete the job.
Photo by Rittner Morgan Posted to Jackson, NJ, Facebook