Nine months of detours end in U.F.
U-40 bridge on Holmes Mill Road reopens

UPPER FREEHOLD - Area residents can once again use Holmes Mill Road to cross over Lahaway Creek.

The nine-month bridge renovation project that forced Holmes Mill Road to close between Schoolhouse and Arneytown Hornerstown roads ended on March 27 when the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders joined township officials in reopening the structure with a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a Monmouth County press release.

Freeholder William C. Barham, liaison to the county's Department of Public Works and Engineering, said in a press release that the new U-40 bridge would serve area residents well for many years to come.

"The bridge that was removed had been built in 1931, so we really have gotten very good use out of it over the past 75 years," Barham said in the press release. "The new bridge will last at least that long and serve the area well."

Reconstruction of the bridge cost $1.2 million and started in July 2007. The project involved the complete removal of an existing bridge and the construction of a new single-span bridge with reinforced concrete abutments.

The new bridge, created by Lucas Brothers Inc., of Marlboro, will carry two lanes of traffic and has shoulders plus 6- foot-wide sidewalks with concrete railings on each side.

Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry thanked area residents for their patience during the construction phase, noting the inconvenience of the detour.

"But now that the bridge is finished, I think they will agree the temporary inconvenience for this long-term improvement was worth the wait," she said in the press release.

Upper Freehold Mayor Steve Alexander thanked the freeholders for the new bridge in the press release.

"As expected, the detour did cause some travel difficulties, but I agree the wait was well worth it," Alexander said. "Considering the condition of the old bridge, replacement was absolutely necessary in order to guarantee safe travel over this portion of Lahaway Creek."