By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Is it open? Or is it closed?
Frustrated motorists were asking those questions on social media over the Memorial Day weekend when the intermittent closure of the Townsends Inlet Bridge abruptly cut off the only direct access between Sea Isle City and Avalon.
Police temporarily closed down the span three times over the weekend during high tide when stormy weather sent waves crashing over a rock seawall that protects the bridge and onto the roadway on the Avalon side.
Hoping to alleviate what has been a recurring problem over the years, Cape May County officials have been talking to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection about the possibility of building a two-foot “cap” on top of the seawall to prevent the waves from flooding the road, Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio said.
“This is a problem that has been going on for many, many, many years,” said Desiderio, who also serves on the Cape May County Board of Commissioners overseeing the county government.
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 the closures caused by the waves crashing over the seawall.
Karen Coughlin, executive director of the Cape May County Bridge Commission, the agency that operates the bridge, said police in Avalon and Sea Isle can close the span if they feel the waves are dangerous to motorists.
When it is open, Townsends Inlet 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.
Desiderio said he doesn’t know of any other towns in New Jersey that have suffered the loss of such a vital transportation link, so many times, as Sea Isle and Avalon.
“The bridge has added a couple of gray hairs to my head,” he said Wednesday of all the troubles over the years.
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.
Periodic maintenance projects result in additional headaches for motorists when the bridge is either temporarily closed or restricted to alternating lanes of one-way traffic to accommodate construction.
On Tuesday night, the bridge was temporarily shut down to replace a blown fuse in one of the safety gates during an opening for a boat, Coughlin said. The old drawbridge-style span must be raised to allow bigger boats to pass underneath.
Another maintenance project is being done to patch up some spots on the top side of the bridge. It will be completed by this week or next and there will be no closures during the work, Desiderio said.
In the meantime, the longer-range plan is to fix the flooding problem on the Avalon side to prevent the bridge from closing so often during stormy weather.
“This would alleviate the flooding on the road during the type of storm we saw over the weekend,” Desiderio said. “If that works, we’re moving forward.”
Desiderio took some consolation that the closures have only been temporary. He also credited the police for shutting down the bridge when there is potential danger from the high waves.
“It’s dangerous, especially if you’re a motorist who is not expecting waves hitting the rocks and crashing down on the roadway,” he said.
Besides its role as a critical transportation link, the Townsends Inlet Bridge also serves as a source of commerce between Sea Isle and Avalon by allowing people to easily visit businesses in both towns.
Desiderio does not want to see the flow of business interrupted by more bridge closures just as the shore enters the crucial summer tourism season and continues its recovery from the pandemic.
“I’m looking at what is going to be a great summer. But this was unfortunate,” he said of the closings over the Memorial Day weekend.
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 scenic Ocean Drive.
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.
