Route 35 Bridge Testing Finished

Bridge between Point Beach and Brielle to remain passable

  You'll be able to keep crossing the Route 35 bridge when you come to it. It's been passable since mid-afternoon Wednesday and it looks like it will stay that way. The state says the testing on the bridge is finished, which is good news for those who sat in traffic Wednesday as the bridge was intermittently in the raised position. Contractor crews left the bridge shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday and will not need to return. Contractors for the state Department of Transportation (DOT) were testing the locking mechanisms on the bridge, they ran two or three tests and they were just fine, said DOT spokesman Timothy Greeley on Thursday. "They do not have anything further planned," Greeley said. Acknowledging that not getting the word out to the…

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UPDATE: Route 35 in Mantoloking is Re-opened

An ocean breach had forced a closure from Herbert Street to the Bay Head/Mantoloking border.

  Route 35, from Herbert Street to the Bay Head/Mantoloking border, is re-opened, according to the Mantoloking police department. That section of the state highway that had been compromised by an ocean breach in the wee hours of Thursday morning opened up around 11:05 or 11:10 a.m. today, police said. The Ocean County Road Department and the municipality's emergency contractor, RWV Land & Livestock, will haul sand all day from the state Department of Transportation site in Wall, according to the Mantoloking Office of Emergency Management's Facebook page. "Please use caution when driving around town as sections of East Avenue and Barnegat Lane are still covered with sand and debris," the Facebook post says. The town remains open to …

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Westbound Lanes of Route 88 Bridge Closed Part of Tues. and Wed.

Traffic is shifted into eastbound lanes

Both westbound lanes of the Route 88 bridge in Point Borough are closed today until 3 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the state Department of Transportation (DOT). The traffic will be shifted into the eastbound lanes allowing one lane of traffic in each direction. This work will be coordinated with the ongoing work at this structure by the Army Corps of Engineers, says the DOT. Editor's Note: Patch was not informed of this until this morning and is posting this story shortly after getting the information. Information will be updated if any further information is announced.

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Fishing Friday

Sea Bass Quota to be Cut, But Winter Flounder Bite Remains Strong

ASMFC decision will significantly cut back on sea bass harvest

I know some of you have probably been thinking in recent weeks, “geez, this is the most depressing fishing column I’ve ever read!” Well, get ready to have your point proven again. We’re about to lose 40 percent of our recreational sea bass quota. Don’t shoot me, hook me or gaff me – I’m just the messenger. A March 28 ruling from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has established new state shares for black sea bass that will see the overall recreational quota reduced. “The 2010 regulations resulted in a preliminary estimated harvest of 2.98 million pounds, approximately 1.15 million pounds above the 2010 target,” said ASMFC spokeswoman Tina Berger in a news release. “Given that the 2010 regulations were not effective in staying…

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