Editing New Jersey Route 13 (section)

==== Construction (1969&ndash;1972) ====
On November&nbsp;27, 1969, the state announced that they received the lowest bid of $3,344,933.85 (1969&nbsp;USD) for construction of the new bridge from a joint venture of Mason&ndash;Connor, Incorporated of [[Pennsauken, New Jersey|Pennsauken]] and Thomas Construction of [[Albany, New York|Albany]], New York. The new bridge would be {{convert|287|ft|m}} long and {{convert|62|ft|m}} wide, with new approaches. Bridge Avenue on both sides would be turned into dead ends while the new Bridge Avenue alignment would fork off of Hollywood Avenue in Point Pleasant and Bay Avenue in Bay Head. The two supporting piers of the bridge would be {{convert|80|ft|m}} apart from each other. Other bids ranged from $3,386,522&ndash;$4,318,141. At that time, NJDOT noted it was studying the low bid and a deal could be made in two weeks.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Bridge Pact Seen in 2 Weeks |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46815731/lovelandtown-november-28-1969/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=November 28, 1969 |page=25|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

Point Pleasant announced in December&nbsp;1969 that they would vacate parts of Central Avenue so construction could begin 
on the new Lovelandtown Bridge. New road would wipe out parts of Central Avenue due to the new alignment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Canal Cable Opposed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46816244/lovelandtown-december-17-1969/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=December 17, 1969 |page=31|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> Point Pleasant also asked in January&nbsp;1970, that the state widen Bridge Avenue at the southern side instead of the northern side of the roadway so that a costly sewer relocation would not be required.<ref>{{cite news |title=Snowstorm Ordinance Introduced |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46816418/lovelandtown-january-6-1970/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=January 6, 1970 |page=31|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

On January&nbsp;8, 1970, the state announced that they awarded the contract to Mason&ndash;Connor and Thompson Construction for the new bridge. The new bridge would have a deadline of December 15, 1971, to be finished, all to the delight of Beecroft, who began the push for the new bridge a decade prior.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Span Contracts Awarded |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46816578/lovelandtown-bridge-january-9-1970/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=January 9, 1970 |page=25|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> Residents of both communities visited a display to see the new renderings of the bridge on January&nbsp;16 at the Point Pleasant Municipal Building. There it was announced that construction would begin on January&nbsp;26, 1970.<ref>{{cite news |title=Preview |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46816724/lovelandtown-bridge-january-17-1970/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=January 17, 1970 |page=18|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> By January&nbsp;29, demolition work begun on the old marine police headquarters as part of property clearing. However, due to the construction, the work was being done at the station in [[Monmouth Beach, New Jersey|Monmouth Beach]]. Fearing lack of police patrol, an officer would be stationed on a boat near the old headquarters to help in the cause.<ref>{{cite news |title=Coming Down |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46816864/lovelandtown-january-30-1970/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=January 30, 1970 |page=20|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> They would end up moving to a new facility on [[New Jersey Route 35|Route&nbsp;35]] in April&nbsp;1971.<ref>{{cite news |title=Motorboat Unit in New Quarters |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46866428/lovelandtown-april-1-1971/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=April 1, 1971 |page=8|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

William Hall, who the state had sued earlier to acquire some of his property, noted in March&nbsp;1970, that the contractors were burning fires at the Lovelandtown Bridge construction site and that the smoke from the fires was polluting the air and his property. Hall noted that the fires were being started by burning old rubber tires and the Point Pleasant Borough Attorney noted that it was a violation of code to do so. Beecroft stepped in and asked the contractor to stop, despite the fact that he saw no burning going on at the property and got assurances that it would stop.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chief Says Burning Has Been Halted |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46817046/lovelandtown-march-20-1970/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=March 20, 1970 |page=12|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

Along with the burning of tires, Beecroft also asked NJDOT in March&nbsp;1970, to ask the contractor to stop routing their dump trucks over the Route&nbsp;88 bridge in Point Pleasant. A police officer noted the bridge was being used by dump trucks for the contractor weighing as much as 40&nbsp;tons. The weight would cause the draw leaves of the Route&nbsp;88 bridge to shift as much as {{convert|12|in|m}}, a dangerous amount of jump for the structure. The main concern of the dirt-loaded dump trucks was more of the safety of schoolchildren crossing the bridge at the same time as the dump trucks. If the bridge opened like that and a child got stuck in the leaves, it would mean immediate [[amputation]]. The state asked the trucks to slow down on the bridge to reduce the jump in the bridge, but that was still not enough for Beecroft who was ready to make sure they were flagged down [[New Jersey Route 35|Route&nbsp;35]] to reach the bridge instead.<ref>{{cite news |title=Route 88 Bridge Truck Ban Asked |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46817257/route-13-88-march-27-1970/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=March 27, 1970 |page=25|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> However, by the next week, the bridge was still being used by the dump trucks and any thought of the reroute would require changes to the contract in terms of cost.<ref>{{cite news |title=Truck Fight is Pressed by Beecroft |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46817611/lovelandtown-mach-31-1970/ |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=March 31, 1970 |page=14|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

By late May, the construction on the pilings for the new bridge piers had begun, with the steel bases constructed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bridge Work |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46864946/lovelandtown-may-29-1970/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=May 29, 1970 |page=34|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> However, work was slowed when the cases for the pilings began to have problems without specially-designed seals to keep them in place. The state and the contractor could not come to terms and instead, extra costs would be added anyway under "time and materials". The extra seals would add $50,000&ndash;$100,000 to the total cost of the project as contracted. The contractor was confident it would be finished near schedule, but no guarantee of on time. Construction did resume in mid-August.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bridge Jobs Proceeds After Delay |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46865277/lovelandtown-august-14-1970/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=August 14, 1970 |page=19|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

In November, there were complaints by Bay Head residents about the Bridge and Bay Avenue intersection being ripped up and left unpaved due to construction. While NJDOT said new curbs would be installed soon, no paving of the roads could start until the spring of 1971. They noted they would likely do it in April.<ref>{{cite news |title=Liquor Law Change Site in Bay Head |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46865772/lovelandtown-november-3-1970/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=November 3, 1970 |page=9|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

By March&nbsp;1971, the concrete piers for the new bridge were finished and the supports for the deck of the road spans were being installed. The contractor noted that the work was 50&nbsp;percent complete at that point. Most importantly, the project was still slated to be complete by December&nbsp;1971.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bridge Construction |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46866082/lovelandtown-march-2-1971/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=March 2, 1971 |page=21|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> By May, the state closed parts of Bridge Avenue in Point Pleasant to detour traffic off a two-block section. This was needed to help construct the new western approach to the Lovelandtown Bridge and was to remain in place through the end of construction.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bridge Job Will Close Roadway |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46866550/lovelandtown-may-20-1971/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=May 20, 1971 |page=20|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> However, this detour led to complaints from Point Pleasant about the strain it put on Route&nbsp;88 in pre-summer traffic. The borough demanded that NJDOT adjust things to help lighten the load.<ref>{{cite news |title=Action is Urged on Road Work |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46866884/route-13-88-june-2-1971/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=June 2, 1971 |page=36|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

Construction of the first half of the elevator structure for the bridge began by June&nbsp;1971, with one side finished by the end of the month. Preparations for the other side of the bridge structure were also taking place.<ref>{{cite news |title=Going Up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46867686/lovelandtown-june-30-1971/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=June 30, 1971 |page=45|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The full structure was up by July&nbsp;15, with construction of the road deck beginning with the bridge in the elevated position.<ref>{{cite news |title=Construction Progress |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46868046/lovelandtown-july-16-1971/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=July 16, 1971 |page=16|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

In October, the borough of Point Pleasant asked for the work to be amended that sidewalks would be built on the new bridge. The new bridge was not designed to have one, just four lanes of traffic. However, the project was now due to be finished in February&nbsp;1972.<ref>{{cite news |title=Officials in Point Pleasant to Ask County for Curbs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46868291/lovelandtown-bridge-october-20-1971/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |work=The Asbury Park Evening Press |date=October 20, 1971 |page=7|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>