By March 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 percent complete at that point. Most importantly, the project was still slated to be complete by December 1971. 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. However, this detour led to complaints from Point Pleasant about the strain it put on Route 88 in pre-summer traffic. The borough demanded that NJDOT adjust things to help lighten the load.