March 18, 2022                                                                                                                                                                                       

 Circle Drive to be closed on Cedar Bonnet Island
 as Route 72 project advances. Closure necessary for signal and lighting improvements. 

 (Trenton) – New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced Circle Drive on Cedar Bonnet Island in Stafford will be closed as the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project advances. 

Beginning at 12 noon today, Friday, March 18, NJDOT’s contractor, CJ Hesse Inc., is scheduled to close Circle Drive under the bridge on Cedar Bonnet Island in Stafford to make traffic signal and lighting improvements. The work will not affect the West Thorofare Bridge and is expected to be completed before the summer. The following detours will be in place:

Circle Drive to northside of Cedar Bonnet Island detour:

• Motorists on the southside of the island wishing to take Circle Drive under the bridge to the northside of the island will be directed to Route 72 eastbound
• Route 72 eastbound becomes 9^th street in Ship Bottom
• Turn left on N. Barnegat Avenue
• Turn left onto 8^th Street, which is Route 72 westbound
• Take the ramp onto East Bay Avenue

East Bay Avenue to southside of Cedar Bonnet Island detour:

• Motorists on the northside of the island wishing to take East Bay Avenue under the bridge to Circle Drive on the southside of the island will be directed to Route 72 westbound
• Stay in the left lane and take the U-turn onto Route 72 eastbound
• Take the ramp onto 3^rd Street to Circle Drive

 This work is part of the Contract 1A & 1B, of the Route 72/Manahawkin Bay Bridge project. This final construction contract is designed to improve safety and reduce congestion in Stafford at the Marsha Drive/Route 72 intersection and in Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island.  In Stafford, Marsha Drive will be widened to provide double left turn lanes onto Route 72, and a third lane will be added on Route 72 in both directions near the intersection. 

 In Ship Bottom, approximately 3,000 feet of Route 72 (locally known as 8^th and 9^th Streets) and three cross streets (Barnegat Avenue, Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard) will be widened. Two-way traffic will be restored along Central Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard.  Five traffic signals will be reconstructed, and a new traffic signal will be installed at the intersection of 8^th Street and Long Beach Boulevard.  In addition, a new storm drainage system and new outfalls will be installed in an effort to reduce frequent flooding along Route 72 and these intersections. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. For more information go to the NJDOT project website.  

 The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors.  Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for construction updates and real-time travel information. For NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NewJerseyDOT and our Facebook page.

For the complete project information: https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/roads/rte72manahawkinbaybridges/