The Oceanic Bridge's Height Was Set by a Funding Rule. How It Lands in Rumson Is Still Open.

Which Rumson street will carry people from the new Oceanic Bridge down to Victory Park? As of this week, the county's plans offer three possible answers. Each one touches a different block near the Bingham Avenue approach, and one of them would cost River Road five parking spaces.

The question is still open because the bigger one is closed. At a September 29 public information session in Middletown, Monmouth County confirmed that the replacement for the 1939 drawbridge will be a fixed span with 65 feet of vertical clearance. It will run more than 3,000 feet and carry no weight limit for vehicles. According to the county engineer, a federal funding requirement decided that height. The decisions still left to make are at street level. For anyone weighing a home near either end of the bridge, those smaller decisions and the long life left in the old bridge matter more than the design that is already settled.

Three Ways Down to Victory Park

On the Rumson side, the new bridge will follow the existing footprint on Bingham Avenue. The county wants the 14-foot shared-use path to connect to Victory Park, southwest of the bridge at West River Road and Lafayette Street. The presentation The Two River Times summarized lists three options:

1. Option A: a 14-foot path from the bridge at Bingham Avenue to River Road. Existing parking would change to angled spaces, five spaces would be lost, and traffic would become one-way.
2. Option B: a 10-foot path from the bridge to Hunt Street, which connects to Victory Park.
3. Option C: a riverfront path from the bridge to Washington Street.

Whichever option wins needs ramps. At this point the bridge's shared-use path sits about 17 feet up, so a path that reaches park level has to drop that height somewhere nearby. The question has drawn comment from across the river too. Several residents of Middletown's Navesink section told The Two River Times they were concerned about how the path would reach Victory Park without disrupting local traffic patterns.

The public comment period on these materials closed on October 30. The county says a formal meeting report will be posted after the comment period ends. The presentation slides, boards, meeting recording and FAQ are posted on the county's Oceanic Bridge Replacement Project website.

The Decision That Settled Everything Else

The fight over this bridge was never about whether to replace it. The current span was rated "structurally deficient" by the U.S. Department of Transportation in July 2021. The county's September 2026 project information sheet calls it critically deteriorated, rating the superstructure "serious" and the substructure "poor." The argument was over whether the new bridge would be fixed or movable, and how high a fixed bridge would stand.

In a Preliminary Determination of Navigational Clearance Letter dated March 25, 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard recommended a fixed height of 65 feet, which puts the roadway at 81 feet. County officials, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry and former Gov. Phil Murphy all challenged that figure and pushed for 55 feet. County Engineer Joseph M. Ettore explained to The Two River Times why the county stopped pushing:

"In order to stay eligible for federal funding, that was really the only option the county was given. Unless the county was willing to fund it with taxpayer dollars, we really had no choice but to move forward with that option."

The project depends on federal money at every stage. In fall 2024 the county awarded Michael Baker International a $4.9 million preliminary engineering and design contract. The preliminary engineering phase is fully funded by a $4.97 million federal grant awarded in February 2025. The total cost of the replacement will be set by the contracts awarded once the project is bid.

The county's slides also give operating reasons for a fixed span. It meets the Coast Guard requirement, ends the traffic interruptions caused by drawbridge openings on the road and the river, and cuts ongoing maintenance and operating costs. Once the height was fixed, the design work left was the approaches, the path and the cross-section. Those are the parts residents will see every day.

Same Footprint on Bingham Avenue, a New One in Locust

The two ends of the bridge change in different ways. Rumson keeps its alignment. Middletown gets a new one.

On the Middletown side, the county's FAQ describes two roundabouts, one at the recreation-area entrance and one at Navesink River Road. Ettore called the signalized intersection at Locust Point and Navesink River Roads a "high crash location." He said a roundabout "reduces serious injury by 78%." The current entrance area will become public waterfront access and recreation space. The bridge's slope will be reduced slightly to make it less steep for walkers and cyclists, and Ettore said overhead lighting will likely go in on both sides even though the plans do not show it yet.

The slides also mark possible contractor work areas on both the Rumson and Middletown sides. Anyone tracking a property near either approach can find those maps on the county's project documents and maps page.

For Boaters, an Opening Schedule Becomes a Fixed Limit

Today, any boat taller than 22 feet needs the bridge to open. Under the current federal operating rule in the Code of Federal Regulations, the Oceanic Bridge opens on signal from April 1 through November 30. From December 1 through March 31, it opens only with at least 24 hours' advance notice, made by calling the number posted at the bridge. The winter schedule takes effect less than four weeks after this post appears.

A fixed 65-foot span changes that system. Vessels that fit under 65 feet will pass at any hour without waiting for an opening, and the clearance becomes the only limit. Ettore pointed out that 65 feet matches the Route 36 Highlands–Sea Bright Bridge, which is the first entrance to the Navesink River. He said keeping both bridges at the same height keeps both rivers accessible. The Monmouth Boat Club in Red Bank has no official position on the proposed height, according to its vice commodore, Brian Bugbee.

In a November 21, 2025 letter, the county asked marine facilities upstream and downstream to report vessel heights measured from the waterline. AECOM ran the survey in coordination with the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, the New Jersey Marine Police and local marine authorities.

The 1939 Bridge Has Years of Service Ahead

For a buyer comparing Rumson with Locust or Fair Haven, the most practical fact in the September presentation is the timeline. The county's FAQ says the existing bridge is meant to stay in service while the new one is built. The official schedule:

• April 2025: Local Preliminary Engineering begins.
• Fall 2027: Preliminary engineering expected to finish, with approved environmental documentation.
• Spring 2028: Final design expected to begin.
• After final design: Competitive bidding, then construction, estimated to take at least three years. Start and end dates will be set during final design.

The Two River Times reported that each phase is projected to take about two years. If final design takes that long and construction takes the minimum three years in the FAQ, the new bridge would open in the 2030s. Until then, the bridge Rumson uses is the one built in 1939.

Its record shows what an interruption looks like. In October 2011, the county closed the bridge to cars, bicycles and pedestrians from October 17 until Memorial Day weekend 2012 to repair the bascule. Rumson-to-Middletown traffic was routed west through Fair Haven and Red Bank or east through Sea Bright and Highlands. Another repair closed it to everything but boats from May 26 to June 12, 2015, and that notice sent traffic around through Middletown, Highlands and Sea Bright. On July 16, 2024, the bridge got stuck open in hot weather, according to the Asbury Park Press. Most recently, Patch reported a maintenance closure on January 22, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a signed detour.

The official project website describes the deficiencies as beyond what routine maintenance can fix. When a commute or a showing schedule depends on this crossing, the people involved should know the detour routes through Fair Haven and Red Bank and through Sea Bright and Highlands.

A Few Common Questions

Will the Oceanic Bridge close while the new one is built? The county's FAQ says the existing bridge is intended to stay in service during construction, with detours kept to a minimum.

Does the narrower lane width reduce vehicle capacity? Ettore said the refinement "doesn't change the capacity of the bridge to carry vehicles" but makes it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Where can I see the Victory Park path options? The September 29 slides, boards, recording and FAQ are posted on the county's project documents and maps page.

This post is general information and not legal or financial advice. Boat owners and property owners should confirm how the rules and plans apply to them with the county project team or the right professional.

If you're weighing a home near Bingham Avenue, Hunt Street or Locust Point Road, the bridge timeline is part of the decision. Jillian Abbadessa follows the Oceanic Bridge project as closely as the market around it, and can walk you through what the plans mean for a specific address. Let's Connect.