Study Will Look at Possibility of Replacing Townsends Inlet Bridge

By Donald Wittkowski Could it be the beginning of the end for the creaky Townsends Inlet Bridge? Cape May County is launching a new study to analyze the possibility of replacing the bridge, an antiquated structure dating to the 1930s that has a history of shutdowns and was most recently closed from April to June for emergency repairs. The Cape May County Bridge Commission, which operates the span linking the seashore towns of Sea Isle City and Avalon, approved a resolution Thursday endorsing the study. Although the study is seen as a crucial first step that could possibility lead to construction of a new Townsends Inlet Bridge, it would still take years to plan, design and build the project, County Engineer Dale Foster noted. Moreover, there is currently no money to pay the estimated $50 million to $100 million cost for a new bridge. The county would look to the state and federal governments to help finance the project. A consulting firm hired by the county will study different options for the bridge, including a “step by step” process for possibly rehabilitating the existing structure or building a new one, Foster explained. The consultant, Greenman-Pederson Inc., is expected to report its findings to the bridge commission in October or November. Foster said the study will include cost estimates for the project. He pointed out that it would be cheaper to build and take less time if a new bridge could follow the same alignment as the existing span. Any new alignment would add to the permitting process, perhaps taking 18 months to three years to complete that phase of the project alone, he said. Sea Isle and Avalon officials have become increasingly frustrated with the bridge’s structural problems. The most recent closing from April to late June served as a flashpoint for complaints about the economic harm of having a vital transportation link cut off to traffic just as the peak summer tourism season was getting underway at the Jersey Shore. In June, the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce, the Avalon Chamber of Commerce and the 7 Mile Business Community Association, an organization that promotes business and tourism in Avalon, jointly sent a letter to the bridge commission urging construction of a new bridge. The letter noted that the bridge’s closure over the Memorial Day weekend had a “huge negative impact” on local businesses and tourism in both towns during the traditional start of the lucrative summer season. The commission members have been sympathetic, but have repeatedly said that the county does not have the money to build a new bridge. Even if the funds were available, it would probably take at least seven years to plan the project, obtain the regulatory permits and build it, they stressed. Motorists pay a $1.50 toll to cross the bridge connecting Sea Isle City with Avalon. On April 3, the bridge was closed down after structural cracks and deterioration were found in the support piles during an underwater inspection. The most recent closing added to a series of shutdowns suffered by the bridge over the years for repairs, upkeep and related road construction. The bridge shutdown severed a crucial part of Ocean Drive, a scenic seashore route popular with tourists that connects the barrier islands of Cape May County. During the three-month closure, motorists had to detour miles out of their way to the Garden State Parkway or Route 9 to travel between Sea Isle and Avalon. Repair work was done on a cluster of three support piles originally installed in 1962 to reinforce the bridge after a monster storm pummeled the Jersey Shore that year and caused the bottom of Townsends Inlet to drop. The piles are part of a pier on the bridge’s bay side near Avalon. The cost of the emergency repairs was estimated at $2 million. Now that those repairs have been completed, the county is planning to move ahead with previously scheduled maintenance upgrades on the bridge. The Townsends Inlet Bridge, built in 1939, is part of a network of five bridges operated by the Cape May County Bridge Commission along the Ocean Drive. 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. As part of improvements to the Townsends Inlet Bridge, a contractor is preparing to start a nearly $2.7 million project in mid-October to replace the old railings that line both sides of the span. New steel railings would protect both the motor vehicle traffic and pedestrians using the bridge. They would replace old, corroded railings that don’t meet modern safety standards. Some of the old railings date to the bridge’s original construction in 1939, Foster said. Barring any environmental restrictions to protect migratory birds, the railing project is expected to be completed by June 2018. However, work would be halted for months during the nesting season of piping plovers, a migratory bird classified by New Jersey as an endangered species, if they are spotted on the beaches of Sea Isle, Foster said. Under that scenario, construction would resume after the summer nesting season and be completed by the end of 2018. During construction, the bridge will be reduced to a single, alternating lane of traffic. Two temporary traffic signals will be installed on the bridge to control the flow of vehicles. Motorists will encounter delays, but the red lights will be timed to be no longer than 3 minutes, Foster said. Despite the inconveniences to motorists caused by the project, there will a benefit. Bridge tolls will not be collected during construction, saving motorists the $1.50 fare they normally pay to cross the span, Foster said.