By MADDY VITALE
Sea Isle City officials say come to the resort and enjoy all that it has to offer.
But slow down getting there.
The posted speed limit along Sea Isle Boulevard, a county road that serves as the city’s main gateway, was reduced from 55 to 50 mph by way of a Cape May County freeholder resolution earlier this month.
Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who is also a freeholder, said in an interview Wednesday that he made the request to lower the speed.
“Motorists were exceeding the 55 mph. That is just way too fast for that road,” Desiderio said.
Sea Isle’s Business Administrator George Savastano also commented on the topic after Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
“I think 55 is kind of fast in my opinion,” he said. “I think 50 is a good number.”
In addition, Desiderio brought up the idea of adding rumble strips down the entire road. Freeholders agreed with him and they will be installed in the center line by the end of the month, he said.
Most of Sea Isle Boulevard has a posted speed limit of 50 mph. However, the speed is reduced to 45 mph approaching the bridge into town and is 35 mph crossing over the bridge.
Sea Isle Boulevard was recently rebuilt to elevate it above flood levels. Desiderio said that when the roadwork was completed the speed limit reduction was on the books, but the new signage wasn’t installed to alert motorists.
Cape May County Engineer Bob Church explained in an email that the posted speed limit was originally changed by a freeholder resolution several years ago.
“The signs were apparently never changed out at that time to reflect the resolution or the consultant that prepared the new roadway plans was not made aware of the change when the plans were prepared a number of years ago,” Church said.
Church continued, “When I checked our road file after the Freeholder caucus, I discovered that this speed reduction had already been approved and it was simply a matter of changing out the signs. The speed reduced to 50 miles per hour on the mainline and is the enforceable speed.”
One thing is certain. Slowing down is a must.
The mayor said the speed limits will be strictly enforced.
“We will monitor it and see how it goes,” he noted. “The Sheriff’s Department will periodically have radar on the road, and they can pull you over and Sea Isle police would give you the ticket.”
“We know people want to get to Sea Isle and they are excited to come here,” Desiderio said. “We just want them to take the extra couple of minutes to get here safe.”
