By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
The Townsends Inlet Bridge, an 82-year-old span with a history of structural and maintenance problems, was briefly closed to traffic on the Fourth of July and then underwent a longer shutdown overnight Monday for repairs.
Sea Isle City police reported in a series of traffic alerts that the bridge was closed “due to maintenance issues.” At one point, the drawbridge was stuck in the “up position” after allowing boat traffic to pass underneath, police said.
When it is open to traffic, the bridge allows motorists to make a direct hop to travel between Sea Isle and Avalon. When it is closed, drivers must follow a lengthy detour on the Garden State Parkway or Route 9 for trips between both towns.
“It is a pain in the neck to go around it,” Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio said of the detours when the bridge is closed.
Desiderio noted that the bridge also serves as a vital transportation link that connects the Cape May County shore communities along the scenic Ocean Drive.
“The traffic flows so well between the two communities (Sea Isle and Avalon) and on the Ocean drive when the bridge is open,” he said. “It keeps everything flowing.”
Desiderio, who also serves on the Cape May County Board of Commissioners overseeing the county government, said he plans to speak with County Engineer Bob Church on Tuesday about the bridge’s latest problems to make sure they are not serious.
At this point, it appears that the maintenance issues that forced the bridge to briefly close down on Sunday night and then again for a longer period overnight Monday were not major, he said.
“It got stuck and they repaired it. When they were there, the engineer thought they should do some more maintenance work, so they repaired it again,” Desiderio said.
Sea Isle police put out the first traffic alert at 10:21 p.m. on the Fourth of July to notify motorists that the bridge was closed because it was stuck in the up position. Just two minutes later, another alert went out saying that the bridge had reopened.
At 3:10 a.m. Monday, police notified motorists that the bridge had shut down again “due to maintenance issues.” Then at 9:41 a.m. Monday, another alert was issued saying that the bridge had reopened.
“Unfortunately, it was closed for part of the Fourth of July holiday,” Desiderio said.
Over the years, the bridge has been closed a number of times for repair projects and reconstruction.
With the COVID-19 pandemic now easing, Sea Isle and other Cape May County shore communities enjoyed a huge surge of tourism for what was viewed as a blockbuster Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Desiderio indicated that the closure of the Townsends Inlet Bridge made it more difficult for Sea Isle to handle the heavy traffic.
“It was like a parking lot, like at all of the other shore communities,” he said of Sea Isle’s traffic. “There were more cars than I could ever remember, at least in the last two years.”
The Townsends Inlet Bridge is one of five toll bridges operated by the Cape May County Bridge Commission that connect the beach communities along the Ocean Drive.
Karen Coughlin, the bridge commission’s executive director, could not be reached for comment Monday about the Townsends Inlet Bridge’s closure.
Desiderio noted that he often speaks to bridge commission officials about the Townsends Inlet Bridge “because of the amount of time it has been closed” over the years.
“I’m sure the bridge commission is giving this its full attention,” he said.
Built in 1939, the antiquated bridge has gone through a series of shutdowns in recent years for structural repairs, maintenance work and related road construction. On top of everything else are occasional closures caused by waves crashing over the seawall on the Avalon side during storms or unusually high tides.
The bridge underwent an $8.6 million reconstruction that forced it to close for 10 months in 2018 and 2019 while seven deteriorated spans on the Avalon side were replaced.
Long-range plans include replacing the old span with a new bridge. The construction of a new bridge is estimated to cost between $65.7 million and $167.7 million and would take years to complete, according to a county transportation report.
In a preliminary step, the county has authorized the hiring of an engineer to begin the concept development phase for a new bridge.
The county does not have the money to replace the bridge, but hopes to eventually secure state and federal funding to build a new one.
Traffic passes through the toll plaza on the Townsends Inlet Bridge.
