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After Superstorm Sandy, Route 35 Reopens In Mantoloking

MANTOLOKING, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - After being shut for three months, the Jersey Shore town of Mantoloking has finally reopened.

It's a major step forward for the tiny borough on a thin strip of a barrier peninsula.

"Everybody's done a fantastic job and a lot of work has come into this," WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams was told by police chief Mark Wright on Friday morning. "Everybody's anticipating this. I mean, we've been waiting for this."

After Superstorm Sandy, Route 35 Reopens In Mantoloking

The cones are up the checkpoints are gone and, for the first time since superstorm Sandy, you can once again drive along Route 35 through the narrow strip of sand.

But Wright had a warning.

"For residents and contractors that are working with them, they'll have passes. For everybody else, just stay on the highway and we have patrols out there that are gonna make sure that everybody gets through safely. We don't want anybody stopping for photographs or anything like that. Just keep moving up and down the highway to get to your destination safely," he said.

The ocean swept away 60 homes and left 139 uninhabitable.

Repairs continue and the sewer system is still being rebuilt. Residents might be able to move back in a month.

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