No TI Bridge by Memorial Day?

AVALON – When the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge was closed for major repairs in September 2018, all projections were that work to replace a set of piers and redeck the bridge would be completed by Memorial Day 2019.
At the Avalon Borough Council meeting March 27, Business Administrator Scott Wahl provided an update on the work. He said that the bridge would not be open on Memorial Day Weekend and that no realistic prediction could be made for when the work would be completed.
On Feb. 28, the borough website carried the latest update from the county concerning the project. That update indicated that work was progressing and that the contractor anticipated accelerating the work schedule on the bridge, going to three shifts Monday through Friday and double shifts on Saturday.
What the borough learned was that the $8.5-million project was behind schedule with one of the vertical supports for the new decking needing to be “reset.” Wahl said, “We do not know when it will be reopened.”
Recent media reports that indicated that the bridge work would make its deadline and be open to traffic at the traditional beginning of the summer season were, in Wahl’s words, “completely incorrect.”
Wahl criticized county officials for not sharing more information with the borough as work on the bridge progressed since last fall.
“I have generally only received updated information when I have reached out to the county,” Wahl said.
Business owners in the borough expressed outrage that they were just finding out that a critical roadway for customers from Townsend’s Inlet and Sea Isle City would again be closed during their busiest time of year. 
“Townsend’s Inlet people are a big part of our business,” one said.  Business owner Jackie Ewing criticized the county for not having a backup plan. “The first thing you learn in business is that you need a plan B,” she said. A visibly angry Ewing added, “We are not in business as a hobby.”
A member of the Avalon Chamber of Commerce urged council to “get us some stinking answers.” Citing the negative impact of a closed bridge on the borough’s businesses and restaurants, he added, “This is bad, really bad.”
Although Wahl said that no projection could be made on when the work would be completed, Ewing told council that it was imperative to know if the bridge would be open by the Fourth of July holiday.
Wahl suggested that county officials need to “come here to this room and explain what is going on at a meeting of local business owners.”
With some suggesting an unlikely withholding of county tax payments more to make a point than as a realistic tactic, the message was clear. Council was being asked to do all that it could to get candid and reliable information from the county and the contractor so that business owners could better understand what the impact would be on their busy season.
“By this time we are all in,” Ewing said, meaning that investments had already been made for the opening of summer business activity.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.