Bridge Repair Stalls Landing Traffic; Who’s to Blame? See the Sweatshirt

SCHELLENGER’S LANDING – The price of safe bridge crossing is a line of stopped traffic entering and leaving Cape May. It’s also $1.2 million.
Since structural repair work began March 28 traffic over Lafayette Street Bridge, linking Lower Township and Cape May, has been limited to one lane. That translates into delays for many motorists.
“Dale, is this report going to take as long as it was sitting in traffic to go over the bridge to get to Cape May?” asked Freeholder Kristine Gabor April 12 of County Engineer Dale Foster, as he prepared to give an update amid chuckles from other freeholders. “If so, let me know now.”
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton, who earlier in the afternoon attended a Greater Cape May Chamber of Commerce luncheon, said he was also peppered with questions about the bridge project.
“Me too, I blamed everything on you,” Thornton said to Foster.
“I have a sweatshirt in my office. I can go get it, it says, ‘It’s all my fault,” responded Engineer Dale Foster.
Freeholder E. Marie Hayes joined the litany of complaints later in the meeting, “Absolutely a concern, having lived through that traffic going into Cape May I did not realize it was as bad as it was. Now, I’m starting to be concerned, I’m not sure if we’ve had this conversation about the Coast Guard festival (May 6-8). Are we going to be done with that?”
“Right now, the plans call for one lane through May 20, but we are having discussions with the contractor on how we can reopen the bridge in time for the (second annual) Coast Guard (community) festival,” replied Foster, “So that is a topic we will be discussing at length.”
That festival is expected to increase traffic by several thousand vehicles in addition to normal weekend traffic.
The bridge is the easiest access to Cape May, directly off Route 109 and Garden State Parkway. Seashore Road through West Cape May takes longer, and is the only other alternative access to Cape Island.
Freeholders awarded Midlantic Construction, LLC, of Barnegat a $1,231,492 contract to repair the bridge.
A county release stated the findings of the recent biennial structural inspection downgraded the bridge to “structurally deficient” due to severe deterioration of steel columns in the northernmost and southernmost spans of the bridge. 
The repair of the columns requires steel support beams and columns to be installed. 
Given the extent of deterioration, repair work cannot be delayed and must be performed as soon as possible. 
The work is required in both the inbound and outbound lanes of the bridge.
To perform the construction operations and provide the work area for the holes in the deck slab, one lane on the bridge will be closed to traffic. 
The traffic control plan has detailed the installation of a temporary traffic signal system to control traffic in the one available lane over the bridge and through the work zone. 
Signs encourage motorists to use West Cape May (Seashore Road) Bridge as an alternate route.
The work in each lane closure phase is estimated to take approximately two months each to complete. 
The construction phasing has been planned to be performed outside of the heavily traveled summer season. This first phase of construction will be performed in the outbound lane and is to be completed by May 20. 
On May 20, all construction equipment and traffic control devices are to be removed and both lanes on the bridge will be open to traffic.
All lanes and sidewalks will be open for traffic from Memorial Day Weekend until Columbus Day Weekend. 
The second stage of construction (inbound lane) is slated to begin in mid-October. The bridge is to have both lanes available from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day 2017.  All work in the contract is to be completed by March 2017.
Other structural repairs will be performed on the main steel span to upgrade the condition of the bridge. Mud and debris is to be removed from the former machinery rooms to the bridge. In addition to the structural repairs, the repair program also includes removing the majority of the concrete sidewalks and replacing them with Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks.
Lighthouses on the bridge will be re-installed upon project completion. 
The Lafayette Street Bridge was originally constructed as a movable bridge in 1927. Shortly after the Cape May Canal was completed around 1942, the need for opening the bridge was no longer necessary as marine vessels had direct access to Cape May Harbor via the canal. The bridge underwent a major rehabilitation program in 1973 that removed most of the machinery that opened the bridge and reconstructed the retaining walls to the bridge. Due to deterioration of the structural steel that reduced the load carrying capacity of the bridge to 15 tons, a structural repair and strengthening program was performed in 1993.