UPPER TOWNSHIP, Nov. 12, 2026 — Route 50 closes in both directions at the Cedar Swamp Creek bridge at 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, as crews start tearing down the 65-year-old span and building its replacement, the New Jersey Department of Transportation said Thursday.
The closure runs between Tyler Road and Tuckahoe Road (County Road 631). Residents and businesses inside it, including the Ocean City Campground & Beach Cabins, keep local access.
Detour
Cars and trucks get separate detours, and NJDOT says they stay in place through early 2027. The truck detour also covers buses, RVs and anyone towing a trailer.
Cars, northbound: turn right onto Tyler Road (County Road 616), then left onto Tuckahoe Road back to Route 50.
Cars, southbound: turn left onto Tuckahoe Road, then right onto Tyler Road back to Route 50.
Trucks, northbound: turn right onto Route 9 (Shore Road), then left onto Tuckahoe Road and follow it back to Route 50.
Trucks, southbound: turn left onto Tuckahoe Road and follow it to Route 9, then turn right onto Route 9 back to Route 50.
Temporary traffic signals are going in at Route 50 and Tyler Road and at Tyler and Tuckahoe roads, the Ocean City Sentinel reported in August, when the county commissioners backed the full-closure plan. The county said the detour was worked out with Upper Township, emergency services and school transportation officials. "Safety, coordination with emergency and school services, and minimizing long-term inconvenience remain our top priorities," Commissioner Director Leonard Desiderio said.
Why the bridge is coming out
NJDOT rates the bridge in poor condition. It is also a designated coastal evacuation route, and a main way in and out of the shore for summer and fall visitors.
Earlier plans would have built the new bridge in two halves and kept the northbound lane open the whole time. Closing the bridge outright shortens the job, the county said.
The new bridge gets 10-foot shoulders and room for a future sidewalk, along with roadway, drainage and environmental work.
Timeline
Agate Construction Co. and a joint venture of A. Servidone Inc. and B. Anthony Construction Corp. won the $47.7 million contract in May, the governor's office announced. It is NJDOT's first design-build job, with one team handling both the design and the construction.
NJDOT expects to finish the project by the end of 2028. Updates will be posted on 511NJ.
