Crest Race to Close Bridge for 2 Hours; Board Split on Holiday Weekend Closure

CREST HAVEN – By a 3-2 vote March 27, freeholders approved the closure of Middle Thorofare Bridge to vehicular traffic Oct. 7 for about two hours to permit the inaugural Crest Best 10-Miler race to use the facility. 
At its previous meeting, the board was opposed to closure of the bridge for what it was told could be up to four hours.
Freeholder Will Morey, a Wildwood Crest resident, advocated for the inaugural race, billed by promoter Delmo Sports as a “world-class running event.” The closure would be from 7:30 a.m. to about 9:45 a.m.
It was estimated, based on the prior year’s traffic count over the span that 166 cars would pass that would have to find alternate routes to or from Cape May into Lower Township and Wildwood Crests.
The race will be the longest of three that Columbus Day Weekend, a busy time for traffic. The others are a 5-K and five mile race, both of them will be held within Wildwood Crest and Diamond Beach, Lower Township.
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton and Freeholder Jeffrey Pierson voted against the bridge closure.
Pierson stressed he was not opposed to the race, but that it could take other scenic routes within the borough and not use the bridge.
Thornton did not want to close the bridge on that weekend. He also cited the fact that the promoter had posted the race route “without full permission of the county to do so.”
Morey noted that the Crest would bear most of the traffic inconvenience, and did not believe it would be that great an inconvenience on a Sunday morning. He cited the ability to post traffic signs prior to the race alerting motorists to the intended closure in adequate time to allow them to plan another route.
When Thornton stated his opposition to an Ocean Drive bridge closure for a race, Morey said that had happened for the “Wild Half” races that closed one of the Grassy Sound bridges into Stone Harbor.
“We got grief from the business guy there,” replied Thornton, speaking of a marina operator.
Morey said the Crest’s idea was to have a “beautiful running route and make sure the run is interesting and scenic.”
The bridge is located at mile three of the race.
Morey, who enjoys bicycle riding, said the race would help emphasize that the county was “a very active county. These types of things draw in people…”
“It’s on their (Delmo’s) website,” said Engineer Dale Foster in response to Thornton’s question. “They didn’t have permission. There was an assumption that the county was automatically going to close the bridge,” Foster said.
When Thornton perceived the discussion was turning in favor of closing the bridge, he asked for a motion to close the bridge.
Those who voted in favor of closure of the bridge were: E. Marie Hayes, Vice Director Leonard Desiderio, and Morey. The vote was one of the rare times when the board was not unanimous.