Fate of Sea Bright-Highlands Bridge pending DOT decision Historic Sites Council: DOT didn't show rehab was not a viable option BY LIZ SHEEHAN Correspondent Sea Bright-Highlands Bridge A decision on an application by the N.J. Department of Transportation (DOT) to replace the 74-year-old drawbridge that joins the boroughs of Highlands and Sea Bright is expected to be made later this month by Lisa P. Jackson, commissioner of the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a spokesperson for the DEP said Monday. The borough councils in Sea Bright and Highlands passed resolutions last month opposing the DOT's controversial plan for the demolition of the drawbridge and its replacement with a fixed bridge. Darlene Yuhaz, DEP spokeswoman, said this week the decision to be made by the commissioner is whether the DEP will accept the recommendation by the N.J. Historic Sites Council, an advisory group of the DEP, that the DOT's application to replace the existing bridge be denied. She said the Historic Sites Council is composed of New Jersey residents appointed by the governor "to advise the commissioner on any project that may affect historic resources." In a resolution stating the recommendation, the Historic Sites Council said the proposed fixed bridge would have an adverse effect on the views of and from the Twin Lights, a National Historic Landmark. Also, the resolution said the DOT's "Application for Project Authorization failed to adequately demonstrate that rehabilitation of the existing bridge would not be prudent and feasible, thereby avoiding the adverse effect to Twin Lights." The resolution also said that although a Community Partnering Team was established by the DOT to inform the public and officials of Highlands and Sea Bright about the developments concerning the bridge project and get their feedback, "the decision to replace the bridge had been made prior to the first meeting [of the team], therefore leaving the team to only consider mitigation and design treatment." The resolution also noted that the state's Historic Preservation Office had received more than 200 letters opposing the plan to replace the bridge. "We're awaiting DEP's ruling," Dan Stessel, a spokesman for the DOT, said Monday. He said that the DOT was replacing the bridge for safety reasons, and to ensure reliable movement of traffic over the bridge, which is a coastal evacuation route for Sea Bright in case of storms or other emergencies. Stessel said that the bridge now is "structurally and functionally obsolete," and soon could be subject to weight restrictions if not replaced. The bridge, he said, lacks shoulders and does not have adequate access for pedestrians and bike riders. Stessel said that the bridge has frequent mechanical failures, and is subject to them on very hot days when the steel in the structure expands. The bridge has been closed six days since 2002, he said, and on one occasion was stuck for four hours on a summer day, causing a long traffic delay. The cost of replacing the existing 35-foot-high drawbridge with a 65-foot-high fixed bridge will be $99 million in construction costs, with a final price of $120 million, which includes design, engineering and property acquisition costs, Stessel said. He said that repairing the existing bridge would cost $50 million and it would again need work in 10 years. Last year the state spent $1 million to keep the bridge in service, Stessel said. Spencer Adler, an attorney who grew up in the area, disputes the DOT claim that a new bridge will be safer, citing the steeper slope that the replacement span will have because of its increased height. The steep slopes on the planned bridge will be more likely to be slippery in wet conditions and when there is black ice, Adler said. He also cited the resolution of the Historic Sites Council that said "accidents on or near the bridge are well below the state average for similar crossings." Adler's recent offer to help opponents of the proposed bridge replacement was accepted by Highlands. A group called the Coalition for Sandy Hook Bay Ferry Service is also opposing the bridge proposal. In a press release issued last month, the group said that while the existing bridge is flat, its planned replacement would "be both tall and steep - a dangerous situation for drivers during icy winter conditions." The resolution passed by Sea Bright, which is similar to the one approved by Highlands, said that the Highlands Bridge "is historically significant, is part of New Jersey's coastal heritage, and represents the character and ambiance of the area surrounding the bridge." It also said that the "information regarding the need for the destruction of the Highlands to Sea Bright Draw Bridge that was provided to the public by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, has been called into question and is reportedly different from the information provided to the government." Richard Wells, superintendent of the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, is a strong supporter of replacing the bridge. In a letter to Jackson in October, Wells said he was "convinced that the proposed bridge is in the best interest of the public." He said that decision should be made looking "at impacts on the broader human environment and not simply the narrow lens of the effect on a historic property." Assemblyman Sean Kean (R-11) has contacted the DOT commissioner, asking for a public forum on the issue to be held in Highlands or Sea Bright "so that local residents can voice their opinions about this project."