Route 37, Tunney Bridge Lanes To Close for Repairs Next Week

Route 37, Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

State transportation officials announced Friday that a portion of Route 37’s westbound lanes and the J. Stanley Tunney bridge, which carries the highway over Barnegat Bay, will close for deck repairs and maintenance next week.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 18 and continuing until 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, NJDOT’s contractor PKF Mark III, will close one lane on Route 37 westbound and the Tunney Bridge between Sunset Drive and Douglas Avenue in Toms River for bridge deck and joint repairs. At least two lanes of traffic will be maintained, the DOT’s announcement said. The affected area runs from the westernmost intersection on Pelican Island to the first intersection on the mainland.

The work is expected to take several weeks, with work starting on the right lane and then moving to the left and center lanes.

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Route 37, Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The westbound Tunney Bridge and eastbound Mathis Bridge carry Route 37 over Barnegat Bay between Toms River and Seaside Heights. The work scheduled to begin next week is part of a $9.6 million federally-funded preventative bridge maintenance contract that will make repairs to 11 bridges statewide to improve safety and extend the useful life of the bridges.

Crews will be using Variable Message Signs to provide advance notification to motorists of traffic pattern changes associated with the work. The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors.