Highlands-Sea Bright Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Highlands-Sea Bright Bridge was a 1,240-foot drawbridge
, built in 1932, to connect Highlands, New Jersey
in the west to Sea Bright, New Jersey
in the east, across the Shrewsbury River
. The eastern terminus is at the entrance to Sandy Hook
. The span is part of Route 36. Between 2008 and 2011 it was replaced with a fixed-span bridge instead of a bascule bridge. It will rise 65 feet (19.8 m), taller than the original span's 35-foot measurement.
In October 1991, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) recommended the replacement of the Highlands draw bridge with a 55-foot fixed-span bridge. According to an engineering study, replacement was believed to save $20 million over the cost-improvement actions outlined in a previous report that recommended extensive upgrades and partial replacement of bridge deck and superstructure. From August 1991 to 2002, several reports and studies by the NJDOT determined the general design and requirements for the replacement bridge. Of the many possible options one notable alternative was to build a second drawbridge and maintain both at the same time. By February 2002 the option of a 65 feet (19.8 m) fixed-span bridge was approved, and by 2007 the design of the bridge was complete and the contract awarded to R.H. & Ried with a budget of $124 million.
The new bridge is 75 ft (22.9 m) and consists of two individual 1610 feet (490.7 m) resting on nine hollow precast concrete columns. The spans are made of approximately 150 precast, post tensioned concrete box girders weighing between 30 and 70 tons each and achieve spans nearly twice the length of the steel spans of the original bridge. Because the new bridge will be built in place of the old bridge, workers needed to demolish half of the old bridge and then construct half of the new bridge. After the first half of the new bridge was completed traffic was shifted to the new span the other half of the old bridge was demolished, making way for the second half of the new bridge.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class="unsortable"| !!Built!! Bridge type!! Construction material!!Life span!!Fate
|-
|
| 1872
| Beam bridge
| Wood
| 3 years
| Destroyed by vessel collision 1875
|-
|
| 1878
| Beam bridge
, swing bridge
| Wood/steel
| 71 years
| Roadway removed 1933, demolished 1949
|-
|
| 1933
| Beam bridge
, bascule bridge
| Concrete coated steel girders, concrete columns
| 76 years
| Demolished 2009
|-
|
| 2011 (est)
| Fixed cantilever bridge
| Prestressed/post tensioned concrete
| (Estimated) 100 years
| First span complete November 2009, under construction
|-
|}
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
, built in 1932, to connect Highlands, New Jersey
Highlands, New Jersey
Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,005. It is the home town of film maker, director, and comic book writer Kevin Smith. The eastern part of the town is built on a high bluff that overlooks Sandy...
in the west to Sea Bright, New Jersey
Sea Bright, New Jersey
Sea Bright is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,412.Sea Bright was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 21, 1889, from portions of Ocean Township, based on the results of a...
in the east, across the Shrewsbury River
Shrewsbury River
The Shrewsbury River is a short stream and navigable estuary, approximately 8 mi long, in central New Jersey in the United States....
. The eastern terminus is at the entrance to Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit along the Atlantic coast of New JerseySandy Hook may also refer to:-Places:United States* Sandy Hook , a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut* Sandy Hook, Kentucky, a city in Elliott County...
. The span is part of Route 36. Between 2008 and 2011 it was replaced with a fixed-span bridge instead of a bascule bridge. It will rise 65 feet (19.8 m), taller than the original span's 35-foot measurement.
Replacement bridge
In October 1991, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) recommended the replacement of the Highlands draw bridge with a 55-foot fixed-span bridge. According to an engineering study, replacement was believed to save $20 million over the cost-improvement actions outlined in a previous report that recommended extensive upgrades and partial replacement of bridge deck and superstructure. From August 1991 to 2002, several reports and studies by the NJDOT determined the general design and requirements for the replacement bridge. Of the many possible options one notable alternative was to build a second drawbridge and maintain both at the same time. By February 2002 the option of a 65 feet (19.8 m) fixed-span bridge was approved, and by 2007 the design of the bridge was complete and the contract awarded to R.H. & Ried with a budget of $124 million.
The new bridge is 75 ft (22.9 m) and consists of two individual 1610 feet (490.7 m) resting on nine hollow precast concrete columns. The spans are made of approximately 150 precast, post tensioned concrete box girders weighing between 30 and 70 tons each and achieve spans nearly twice the length of the steel spans of the original bridge. Because the new bridge will be built in place of the old bridge, workers needed to demolish half of the old bridge and then construct half of the new bridge. After the first half of the new bridge was completed traffic was shifted to the new span the other half of the old bridge was demolished, making way for the second half of the new bridge.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class="unsortable"| !!Built!! Bridge type!! Construction material!!Life span!!Fate
|-
|
| 1872
| Beam bridge
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
| Wood
| 3 years
| Destroyed by vessel collision 1875
|-
|
| 1878
| Beam bridge
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
, swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
| Wood/steel
| 71 years
| Roadway removed 1933, demolished 1949
|-
|
| 1933
| Beam bridge
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
, bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
| Concrete coated steel girders, concrete columns
| 76 years
| Demolished 2009
|-
|
| 2011 (est)
| Fixed cantilever bridge
Cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
| Prestressed/post tensioned concrete
| (Estimated) 100 years
| First span complete November 2009, under construction
|-
|}