The Ocean County Engineering Department announced that several roads and bridges will be undergoing repairs and upgrades this year. West Bay Avenue in Barnegat will see the most substantial work as crews continue to replace a bridge over the Garden State Parkway. Drainage installation will be added to West Bay Avenue between Fourth Street and Pine Oak Boulevard, and construction will be ongoing between Gunning River Road and Fourth Street, according to county Board of Freeholders. These projects, with an estimated price of $1.9 million, are expected to be completed by June. Officials said motorists should expect detours.

The county is also in the midst of replacing the Little Ditch Bridge on Dock Road in Eagleswood.

Motorists traveling through Lakewood and Jackson can expect traffic slowdowns on Route 528 in the area of Stacy Court and Gudz Road as crews are clearing shoulder space.

In Manchester, travelers on Route 530 from Manchester Boulevard to Schoolhouse Road will be detoured around work crews who are installing utilities during the day.

Meanwhile, construction workers will continue its offseason work on the Route 72 Bridge that connects Stafford to Long Beach Island. One lane heading east and west over the bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. during winter.

That nearly $4 million project, which is funded through President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, is expected to be completed by next summer. The primary focus is repairing the bridge’s dilapidated decks. APP