In January 1966, the New Jersey State Conservation Department approved the plans of the State Highway Department for the construction of a new Lovelandtown Bridge. This new bridge would need a horizontal clearance and a vertical clearance of to help navigation through the canal. Bridge Avenue would be moved north for the new bridge, with the construction of a new alignment. This would help eliminate curves that were considered dangerous to the old bridge. However, the bridge was still subject to the approval of a United States Engineer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These plans reached the United States Army Corps of Engineers in April 1966, when they announced openings for anyone who had opposition to the project. By the deadline of May 16, no objections were filed with the engineers on the new bridge.