County Says Sandy Delayed Seven Bridges Project in Little Silver

It's almost starting to seem normal: the endless lines of traffic streaming along Prospect Avenue through downtown Little Silver when school lets out and having to loop well out of your way to get around town. That's probably a good thing, too, since Seven Bridges Road isn't expected to open until some time in mid-April after Hurricane Sandy caused delays to the project, the county said Monday.

“Following the storm, our contractor evaluated the situation at the bridge and reassessed the schedule,” County Engineer Joseph Ettore said. “However, after resuming work and upon reaching the point in the schedule where the foundation piles for the bridge abutments were to be installed, the electric to the bridge had to be de-energized.”

The demand on JCP&L following the storm delayed workers from getting to the Seven Bridges project until Dec. 7 to de-energize power lines, which allowed workers to continue to install the foundation piles, according to a release from the county.

"The County has worked with the contractor to accelerate the construction activities and develop a recovery schedule with the earliest possible road reopening date,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “The contractor has been asked to work weekends as part of the revised schedule. We are working to get the bridge reopened to traffic by mid-April.”

The project began in July and was expected to be completed in late January.

“I can assure you that we are doing everything reasonable to work with the contractor to reopen Seven Bridges Road at the earliest possible date,” Ettore said. “We apologize for the delay in reopening this important roadway in Little Silver and ask for the residents understanding as we continue to recover from the unprecedented storm.”