Summary
The Shark River Draw, commonly known as the Belmar Bridge, is a moveable drawbridge that over the Shark River Inlet, an inlet at the mouth of the Shark River in the towns of Belmar and Avon-by-the-Sea Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, just west of the Atlantic Ocean.[1]
Shark River Draw | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°11′05″N 74°01′33″W / 40.184636°N 74.025849°W |
| Carries | New York and Long Branch (up until 1976) Ocean Avenue |
| Crosses | Shark River Inlet |
| Owner | New Jersey Transit |
| ID number | NJT 433 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Bascule Bridge |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1937 |
| Location | |
 | |
The bascule bridge, built in 1937, carries NJ Transit Rail Operations North Jersey Coast Line[2] between the Bradley Beach and Belmar stations. The bridge was built in 1937 by the New York and Long Branch Railroad.[3] It underwent a major 5-stage rehabilitation in 2013–2014.[4][5][6]
The drawbridge runs parallel and downstream to the fixed crossing of the New Jersey Route 35 and upstream of the moveable crossing of New Jersey Route 71 bridge to the east, together with which it is subject to the opening regulations as set out in Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations.[7]
Mechanical failures edit
On September 22, 2021, emergency repairs were needed after the bridge was unable to open fully, blocking marine traffic for most of the day.[8] Emergency repairs were completed and the bridge was reopened on September 30, 2021.[9]
On March 1, 2024, the bridge suffered a mechanical failure that lead to "significant damage to the machinery of the North Bridge leaf."[10] The bridge was unable to open for marine vessels for nearly two weeks. On March 12, a crane was brought in to manually lift the moveable sections and keep them in the open position, closing the roadway to all traffic but allowing marine traffic to pass,[11] as legally required by the U.S. Coast Guard.[12]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Shark River Railroad Bridge is a Bascule bridge located at N 40° 11.088', W 074° 01.539' - Waterway Guide Bridge Listing". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "NJT - Shark River Draw". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "New York and Longbranch Railroad Bascule Bridge, Belmar, New Jersey, United States". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ NJ Transit. "Shark Drawbridge Upgrades". Archived 2016-11-07 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Big Shark River Drawbridge Structural Steel Repairs - AmerCom Corp. - New Jersey Consulting Engineers". Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Shark River -". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Shark River (South Channel)". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ NJ.com, Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for (2021-09-22). "Route 71 bridge between Jersey Shore towns closed for emergency repairs". nj. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ Serrano, Ken. "Why is the Route 71 drawbridge linking Avon and Belmar closed?". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ State of NJ Dept of Transportation (March 6, 2024). "Traffic Advisory" (PDF). Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ "Faulty Route 71 drawbridge to undergo emergency repairs; detours planned". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ USCG-2001-10881, 71 FR 70308, Dec. 4, 2006