Audit 14 Years after Bridge Opens, Nearly $25K Forwarded to State

CREST HAVEN – For those who have ever missed a deadline or been a tad late filing state returns, maybe it’s a “Jersey thing.” 
While haste may not be job one with the State of New Jersey, the motto seems to be “better late than never.”
In 2002 the $50-million Ocean City-Longport Bridge opened to great fanfare; walkers first and then vehicles.
In 2016, 14 years later, the state finally finished its audit of Cape May County’s consulting agreement for the project design with the former Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas, Inc. (now Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc.).
County Engineer Dale Foster reported to the board, and it later approved a resolution, to forward reimbursement of $24,974 from the firm to the state Department of Transportation for that design work.
Foster noted that since an agreement existed with the DOT, the consultant paid the county, which then had to pass the funds along to the state.
Since the project was a multi-million dollar one, the slight adjustment resulted in that amount.
That was the second audit done on the same bridge linking Cape May and Atlantic counties.
Bridge’s History
From the Cape May County website:
Ocean City-Longport Bridge purchased by the (Bridge) Commission in 1946 was replaced with a newly constructed bridge, which opened in 2002. It includes the bridge, toll plaza with three lanes, generator shed and service building.
It is located at the northern end of Ocean City in an area known as The Gardens. The roadway extends toward Longport to the north and Somers Point to the west.
At the northern end of the toll bridge, the original structure was dismantled and removed except for about 900 feet, which was used as a base for a fishing pier complete with parking area and gazebo. This fishing pier is open to the public for all seasons of fishing.
The total cost of this project was $50 million. Most of the funds were federal transportation line item funds and a commission payment of $2.8 million to the State of New Jersey, which administrated the contracts for construction of the bridge and toll plaza.