ON THE GREEN: BRIDGES UP FOR COMMENT
Bridge-crossing local residents, commuters and others get to weigh in on matters concerning a couple of drawbridges on the Greater Red Bank Green in coming weeks.
RUMSON: OCEANIC MAKEOVER BEGINS ANEW
Todd Thompson, seated at center, discussing bridge options with other attendees at the Rumson session. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
What should be done about the crumbling Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown?
Area residents were offered dozens of options Tuesday as Monmouth County officials hit the reset button on an earlier process derailed by a change in federal regulations.
OCEANIC BRIDGE: CONCEPT PLANS ON DISPLAY
The Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown is in “critical” condition, according to the Monmouth County Engineer’s office, and officials plan to unveil “conceptual alternatives” for its replacement or repair at meetings slated in each town today.
RED BANK: GHOSTLY, AND PARTLY TRUE, TALES
A framed photo in a locked display case at Red Bank’s Dublin House Pub may have been turned around by a ghost, according to Pat Martz Heyer, below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
In her self-published new book, “13 Ghostly Tales and Yarns of the Navesink River,” Patricia Martz Heyer recounts the history of the house that’s now home to Red Bank’s Dublin House Pub: its origins on the Middletown side of the river and two subsequent relocations over the years.
Along the way, the place seems to have acquired a non-paying tenant, in the form of a generally benign if somewhat mischievous ghost named Mrs. Roberta Patterson. More →
OCEANIC BRIDGE: CLOSURE BEGINS
Boaters and kayakers shared the Navesink River with a construction barge at the Oceanic Bridge on Monday, Memorial Day. The 75-year-old span, which links Rumson and Middletown, was scheduled to close to all but marine traffic starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday for repairs to the steel bascule.
During repairs in April, deterioration was discovered in two areas of the bascule not previously accessible, Monmouth County officials said last month. The latest repairs are expected to wrap up with a reopening of the bridge on Saturday, June 13. In the meantime, seasonal rules and scheduling will be in effect for marine traffic. (Photo by Peter Lindner. Click to enlarge)
OCEANIC BRIDGE: FULL CLOSURE FOR REPAIRS
The 75-year-old span will be closed to all but marine traffic for three weeks starting May 26. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Previously unseen deterioration on the Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown will require a full shutdown of the span for three weeks following Memorial Day, Monmouth County reported Wednesday.
OCEANIC BRIDGE: NIGHT CLOSINGS TO START
Overnight closures of the Oceanic Bridge between Middletown and Rumson are scheduled to begin Tuesday night as ongoing repair work to the 75-year-old span continues, according to Monmouth County officials.
Traffic will be shut down from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., Sunday through Friday morning, until April 30. A routine of single-lane closures during the day is already in effect to enable the contactor, George Harms Construction Company of Howell, to perform required work above and below the bridge deck, according to a county press release. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
OCEANIC BRIDGE: WORK TO REQUIRE CLOSINGS
A 2012 photo of the Oceanic Bridge surface. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
The Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown will undergo repair work starting next week that will entail single-lane operation during the daytime and overnight closures until mid-April, the Monmouth County government announced Friday afternoon.
NAVESINK RIVER FIREWORKS SLATED
Boaters, motorists on the Oceanic Bridge, patrons of two Rumson restaurants and miscellaneous others are in for a pyrotechnics treat Friday night, when DiPiero family puts on a fireworks show from his home on the Middletown side of the Navesink River. The show, scheduled for 9;15 p.m., caps off a fundraising party for Riverview Medical Center Foundation. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
OCEANIC BRIDGE TO CLOSE FOR REPAIRS
The Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown will be closed to traffic and pedestrian use from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday for “routine maintenance” on the bascule section, Monmouth County officials announced Tuesday morning. The bridge was stuck in the open position for a time over the weekend, we’re told. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
EXPECT DELAYS AT OCEANIC BRIDGE
Motorists and others using the Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown may encounter delays as work crews do maintenance on the bascule section, the Monmouth County engineering department announced Wednesday. The work is expected to entail intermittent openings of the bridge for up to 10 minutes at a time between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, the agency said. (File photo from 2008 by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
VANISHING INTO THE MIST
An SUV disappears into the fog enveloping the Oceanic Bridge between Rumson and Middletown Wednesday morning. The New Jersey Climate & Weather Network, which pulls weather data from monitoring devices on the bridge, forecasts possible thunderstorms after 2 p.m. (Click to enlarge)
A BELATED DAD’S DAY GIFT
5:47 p.m.: Father’s Day arrived slightly late for Maria and Kenny Sutherland, brother and sister, who celebrated the occasion on the water Wednesday, instead of Sunday, with both their parents.
After a day on the Navesink River and New York Harbor, dear old dad gave himself a present. He “left us to clean the boat,” Maria said. (Photo by Connor ‘Solstice’ Soltas. Click to enlarge)
Today, redbankgreen engages in a bit of Sol Searching as we chase the sun across the Green on the longest thanks to the Summer Solstice and, by coincidence, so-far-hottest day of the year. Please check in regularly to see where we’ve been. Suggestions? Send ’em here, please.
BRIDGE OPERATIONS PRIVATIZED
The control room of the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge will be staffed by employees of a private firm beginning next year following action Thursday by the Monmouth County Freeholders. (Click to enlarge)
The Oceanic Bridge and the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge are among the four movable Monmouth County bridges whose operations will be run by a private contractor starting next year, according to a report by the Asbury Park Press.
Reporter Joe Sapia writes that the Monmouth County Freeholders “voted 5 to 0 Wednesday to turn over the operation of the bridges to a Florida company, which a county analysis shows can do the job at an annual savings of $572,270.”
CHIEF TO FACE CHARGES FOR ACCIDENT
A Fair Haven Rescue Squad ambulance carries Fire Chief Shaun Foley from the scene of his apparent suicide attempt in Rumson Sunday night. Below, Foley in early 2008.
No charges have yet been filed against Fair Haven Fire Chief Shaun Foley following an accident and apparent suicide attempt that brought a phalanx of rescuers to the Oceanic Bridge in Rumson Sunday evening, according to Rumson Police Chief Ricky Tobias.
A search-and-rescue operation that entailed three helicopters and a team of divers resulted in Foley being fished safely out of the dark waters of the Navesink River after about 45 minutes, Tobias tells redbankgreen.
Foley, who is also a police dispatcher and special officer in the Rumson police department, is reported to be in fair condition at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune and is expected to be released this afternoon, Tobias says.
RESCUE EFFORT SHUTS OCEANIC BRIDGE
Emergency workers hustled the victim along a dock at Salt Creek Grille to a waiting ambulance.
A possible suicide attempt led to a massive rescue effort near the Oceanic Bridge in Rumson Sunday evening.
BRIDGES HEAD IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
Vehicles arriving onto the Sea Bright peninsula via the partially completed Route 36 bridge from Highlands over the weekend. (Photos by Dustin Racioppi)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Call it a tale of two bridges.
Over the Shrewsbury River, there’s progress. And not too far southwest, spanning the Navesink, there’s regression.
Not only can motorists see advances made on the new Route 36 bridge linking Sea Bright and Highlands, they can start taking advantage of the work from nearly two years of construction of the 65-foot high structure. A portion of the bridge opened to travelers on Friday.