A Look at the Bridges of Cape May County

CREST HAVEN — What would Cape May County drivers do without bridges? It would be impossible to access barrier islands or move from one part of the county to another.
County Engineer Dale Foster was prepared to present a PowerPoint discussion about bridges at the Tue., April 26 freeholders’ meeting, but he was bumped from the agenda by a presentation of an economic development grant by Gordon Dahl, executive director of the South Jersey Economic Development District.
There are 23 bridges, the smallest number of spans for Garden State counties, but the county ranks seventh in total deck area with 426,616 square feet, mainly of concrete.
The Cape May County Bridge Commission owns five bridges with total deck area of 264,556 square feet.
Four of those have superstructures of steel girders, which suffer from the “harsh marine environment” according to Foster’s report.
Bridges are structures greater than 20 feet in length.
A “structurally deficient” bridge may be closed or restricted to traffic because of limited structural capacity of its support members.
Such bridges are not unsafe, Foster noted, “but must post limits for speed and weight.”
One example is the Middle Thorofare linking Five Mile Beach and Lower Township. Because of that weight limit, Erma Fire Department, which covers Diamond Beach, must use George Redding Bridge to access its district, not Middle Thorofare.
A “functionally obsolete” bridge has older design features. They may not be unsafe, but cannot accommodate current traffic volumes, vehicle sizes and/or weights. “In most cases, the side of overhead clearances are insufficient,” according to his presentation. An example would be approach roadways that are wider than the roadway carried by the bridge.
A 2007 Report Card for New Jersey’s Infrastructure gave the state’s bridges a grade of D, poor. There are 6,420 bridges statewide. About 36 percent of the state’s bridges are deficient.
Annual investments of $1.7 billion would be required for 10 years to reduce the backlog of deficient bridges.
For FY 2011, the state’s Department of Transportation bridge funding is $714 million.
New Jersey Turnpike Authority (Garden State Parkway) Bridges, including Avalon Boulevard, have been deemed functionally obsolete due to substandard under clearances.
Garden State Parkway exit ramp to Route 50 was rebuilt last year.
State D.O.T. owned bridges:
* Branch of Dennis Creek, Route 47
* Cape May Canal (Veterans Memorial) at Route 109
* Route 52 Causeway, two spans
* Tuckahoe River at Route 50: Bridge is in final design for replacement. Construction is set for fall 2012.
* Cedar Swamp Creek at Route 50
Cape May County owned bridges:
* Avalon Canal at Avalon Boulevard, functionally obsolete, due to narrow width of roadway carried by the bridge. This bridge is currently being widened at a cost of $4.2 million.
* Cape Island Creek at Lafayette Street, functionally obsolete, due to narrow width of roadway carried by the bridge. Estimated cost to replace $4.8 million.
* Mill Creek at Ocean Drive (Lower Township), functionally obsolete due to narrow width of roadway carried by the span. It would cost about $10.6 million to replace. It would be part of any Middle Thorofare Bridge replacement program.
* Upper Thorofare at Ocean Drive, functionally obsolete due to narrow width of roadway carried by the bridge. Replacement cost is $12.4 million. It, too, would be part of the Middle Thorofare Bridge replacement project.
* Ludlam Thorofare at Sea Isle Boulevard, structurally deficient and functionally obsolete, because it has cracked beams and low clearances for the street below the bridge. A $3.35 million rehabilitation project was done in 2009, which removed the bridge from the deficient category.
* Great Channel Bridge at Stone Harbor Boulevard, functionally obsolete, due to narrow width of roadway carried by the movable span. The moveable span is deemed “historically significant.” It is estimated to cost $4.5 million to replace that movable span.
* Mill Creek at Marshallville Road, structurally deficient; it was closed in April 2002 due to an overweight truck.
* Great Egg Harbor Bay (Beesley’s Point) at Route 9, structurally deficient; it was closed in June 2004.
Foster estimated that it would take about $36.4 million to repair functionally obsolete bridges. That estimate, he said, does not address deterioration of county bridges. As an example:
* Ocean Drive Bridge over Great Channel is in need of substructure repairs estimated at over $1 million.
* Stone Harbor Boulevard over Great Channel is in need of electrical, mechanical and structural repairs, which are estimated to cost over $3 million.
County bridges are rated as follows:
* Very good, one bridge.
* Good, 10 bridges.
* Satisfactory, six bridges,
* Failed, one bridge.
Bridge Commission-owned bridges are aging, some not gracefully. These bridges include: Townsend’s Inlet at Ocean Drive, built 1938-40; Middle Thorofare at Ocean Highway, built 1938-40; Grassy Sound at Ocean Drive, built 1938-40; Corson’s Inlet at Ocean Drive, built 1948. These are all deemed structurally deficient and functionally obsolete, because the original design of bridges was for two-axle, 17.5-ton vehicle, a narrow roadway width 20-24 feet, and a narrow navigational channel width. All bridges are deemed “historically significant.”
Of those bridges, Foster noted, “Over the years, millions of dollars have been spent to maintain 15-ton weight restriction of the four bridges. Cost to replace those bridges would be $400 million.”
The cost to maintain the present level of service is estimated at $34 million over the next five years.
In order to safeguard the county’s bridges, all undergo an “extensive inspection program” every two years. A report is made of the findings and recommendations after each inspection cycle. Bridges with a rating of “poor” for any major element of the bridge undergo an interim inspection in the off-cycle year.
At present, no county bridges have a “poor” rating. Underwater inspections are performed at a maximum of every four years. Visual inspections and water depths measurements are done after every major storm event. Federal and state funds pay for the biennial inspection program of county bridges.