Local Bridges, Parkway Exits Included in DOT Capital Plan

TRENTON — For the fiscal year starting July 1, the state Department of Transportation announced a proposed capital program for NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT in the amount of $3.54 billion, of which nearly $220 million was budgeted for Cape May County projects.
“This transportation budget prioritizes safety, state-of-good-repair and congestion-relief projects statewide and funds a robust Local Aid program that takes pressure off of local budgets and property taxes,” Gov. Chris Christie said in a relese. “We must continue to invest in our roads, bridges and transit services to ensure that New Jersey retains its competitive edge of a mobile workforce when the economy rebounds.”
The following are local projects included in the transportation capital program:
• Route 52, Causeway Replacement and Somers Point Circle Elimination, $158 million
This project will provide for the replacement of two movable bridges located closest to Somers Point and Ocean City at Ship Channel and Broad Thorofare with high-level fixed span structures (55-foot clearance above navigation channel). As part of this project, the Ocean City Visitors Center will be replaced on site as part of a planned scenic overlook.
Another part of the project provides for the replacement of 1.2 miles of the interior portion of the existing Route 52 Causeway between Elbow Island and Visitor Center Island in both directions. The bridges being replaced in this contract are Elbow Thorofare and Rainbow Thorofare. This portion of the new bridge will be a lower-level structure (15 to 20 feet above the water). In addition, as part of this project, access ramps will be constructed down onto Rainbow Island in both directions for fishing and recreational access. The southbound bridge toward Ocean City will contain a 10-foot multi-use sidewalk for bicycle as well as pedestrian use.
• Garden State Parkway Interchange Improvements at Exits 9, 10 and 11, $53 million
This project will address grade-separated interchanges at Shell Bay Avenue, Stone Harbor Boulevard, and Crest Haven Road.
• Sea Isle Boulevard from the Parkway to Ludlams Thorofare, $3.8 million
This project will provide for raising Sea Isle Boulevard above the 100-year flood line, replacing or rehabilitating stormwater culverts, and replacing a long timber bulkhead to improve the accessibility to Sea Isle City during storm and tidal events. Sea Isle Boulevard is the only viable emergency route for Sea Isle City and, therefore, it is imperative that the Boulevard be made accessible in all conditions.
• Route 9 Beesley’s Point Bridge, $1.77 million
This project will provide for the rehabilitation of the existing structure.
• Route 50 Tuckahoe River Bridge, $1.49 million
The existing bascule bridge carries two 10-foot travel lanes and a 10-foot shoulder. The replacement will be a fixed structure with a nine-foot, six-inch vertical clearance from Mean High Water Level on the same alignment. The new structure will have two 12-foot travel lanes and 6-foot shoulders, as well as a six-foot sidewalk on the northbound side of the bridge. A temporary structure will be constructed next to the existing structure to maintain traffic during construction. Additional roadway improvements will include signalizing the Route 50 and Route 49 intersection as well as providing a 15-foot through lane and 12-foot left-turn lane northbound and a 12-foot through lane and 15-foot right-turn lane southbound. The intersection of Route 50 and Tuckahoe-Mount Pleasant Road will be reconfigured to allow for one-way operation of Tuckahoe-Mount Pleasant Road only. Traffic wishing to access Route 50 will be able to gain safer access to the highway through the reconstructed Marshall Avenue and Kendall Lane intersections. This project will be designed to be bicycle/pedestrian compatible.
• Middle Thorofare, Mill Creek, Upper Thorofare Bridges, $1.13 million
This project will provide for the proposed replacement of Ocean Drive over the existing Middle Thorofare, Mill Creek and Upper Thorofare on CR 621, as well as the improvement of Ocean Drive from Route 109 to the Upper Thorofare Bridge.
• Route 47/347 and Route 49/50 Corridor Enhancement, $800,000
Concepts will be studied and developed to implement ITS strategies and alleviate summer traffic congestion in these corridors.
In addition to the NJDOT projects, a Cape May Seashore Line extension project north to Hammonton and the Atlantic City Rail Line is among a number of potential projects to be funded by a NJ Transit new starts program.
“This spending plan targets limited resources to where they are needed most and ensures that all our roads, bridges and transit infrastructure remain safe and sound,” said Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson. “The program advances or launches major investments that will benefit commuters, enhance the quality of life for residents and strengthen the state’s business climate for years to come.”