Rehab or Replace? Options Considered for Townsends Inlet Bridge

By Donald Wittkowski The Cape May County Bridge Commission was given a series of options Thursday for rehabilitating or replacing the antiquated Townsends Inlet Bridge, but the biggest challenge ahead will be finding the money for what could be a $150 million construction project, officials acknowledged. During a presentation to the bridge commission’s board members, an engineering firm outlined seven scenarios for either building a new bridge that would last an estimated 100 years or wringing another 25 years of use out of the existing span by doing millions of dollars in renovation work. Whatever is decided, Cape May County political leaders made it clear that there is currently no money available to pay for the estimated $105 million to $150 million cost for a new bridge to connect Sea Isle City with Avalon. “It’s a Christmas wish right now, but we have been looking for the funding,” said Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who is also a Cape May County freeholder. “We have to continue to look for the funding, because otherwise we’ll be stuck with the same old problems and there will be no guarantee for fixing them.” Desiderio led a delegation of Sea Isle officials, including three members of City Council, at the bridge commission meeting. Desiderio and other officials said they favor building a new bridge. A delegation of Sea Isle City elected officials attended the meeting. During the meeting, Thursday representatives of Greenman-Pedersen Inc., a county engineering consultant, described the possible options for the bridge. They stressed that not only would it be expensive to replace the old bridge, but it would also take years to finish the project. Preliminary work, such as completing the designs and obtaining the regulatory permits, might take as long as three years. Construction would add another three to five years, they noted. The seven options range from rehabilitation work costing between $15 million and $20 million to building an entirely new span for as much as $150 million. The price tag for building a new bridge would range from $105 million to $150 million, depending on the bridge’s alignment across Townsends Inlet. Some proposed alignments would take the bridge closer to the ocean or bay, while others would follow the same path as the existing span. Each option would come with different costs and different regulatory requirements because of their various environmental impacts. Representatives of Greenman-Pedersen also discussed the possibility of rehabilitating the bridge, but that option was not favored by Desiderio. He described the renovation plan as simply a “Band-Aid” solution that would not address the overarching concerns about the bridge’s age and deteriorated condition. Others echoed his fears. “The age of the existing bridge is a concern because it’s so old,” said Brian Mausert, a Greenman-Pedersen vice president who led the company’s presentation. The old bridge, which dates to the 1930s, has been plagued by a series of shutdowns in recent years for emergency repairs, maintenance and road work. The county already has plans to rehabilitate the bridge in 2018, including the replacement of seven of its deteriorating spans on the Avalon side. The project will cost between $15 million and $20 million and take 12 months to complete. The construction work will require the bridge to be shut down for nine months during the quieter fall and winter months, said Gregory Johnson, a Greenman-Pedersen senior vice president. County Freeholder Will Morey said it will be “easy” for the county to fund the renovation work in 2018. He suggested that the rehabilitation project could be the first step in longer-range plans to ultimately replace the bridge. Motorists would face traffic restrictions or lengthy detours during the bridge’s rehabilitation or replacement. Greenman-Pedersen’s engineering study outlines a number of possible scenarios for handling traffic, including intermittent lane closures, seasonal detours or detours that could last for up to five years. Built in 1939 during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, the Townsends Inlet Bridge has been plagued by a series of shutdowns over the past five years for repairs, maintenance work or related road construction. Most recently, it was closed from April to June for emergency repairs after structural cracks and deterioration were discovered in its support piles during an underwater inspection. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of closures on that bridge in the last five years,” County Engineer Dale Foster said. An aerial rendering shows how the bridge links Sea Isle and Avalon across the Townsends Inlet channel. Responding to strenuous complaints about the shutdowns from elected officials and business leaders in both Sea Isle and Avalon, the county authorized Greenman-Pedersen to perform a study for a “step by step” process to renovate or replace the structure. The Townsends Inlet Bridge is part of a network of five bridges operated by the Cape May County Bridge Commission along the Ocean Drive, a scenic seashore route that connects the barrier islands in Cape May County. In addition to the Townsends Inlet Bridge, they include the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, the Middle Thorofare Bridge, the Grassy Sound Bridge and the Corsons Inlet Bridge. Only the Ocean City-Longport Bridge is modern. The others date to the 1930s or 1940s. Patrick Rosenello, the bridge commission chairman, stressed that there have been “serious discussions” at the local and county level about modernizing or replacing the four old bridges. The bridge commission is already discussing plans to replace its oldest span, the Middle Thorofare Bridge linking Cape May and Wildwood Crest. The county is seeking federal funding for the Middle Thorofare Bridge project, which could complicate efforts to replace the Townsends Inlet Bridge. Foster said there is only limited federal funding available for bridge projects. He also noted that the county would essentially be “competing against ourselves” if it seeks federal funding to replace both the Middle Thorofare and Townsends Inlet bridges. For now, the best hope appears to be a combination of federal, state and county funding. Rosenello pointed out that toll revenue collected by the bridge commission wouldn’t be nearly enough to pay for the bridge-replacement projects.