Tuckahoe River Bridge Closure To Cover Three Nights, 8 p.m. To 6 a.m.

TUCKAHOE – Cape May County Engineer Dale Foster told freeholders June 14 that he received information from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) that during the week of June 20 the Tuckahoe River Bridge (Route 50) will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on three consecutive nights. 
The closure will allow beams to be placed on the new bridge over Tuckahoe River. All traffic will be shut down, he said.
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton remarked that he had received a telephone call from New Jersey State Police in Woodbine June 11 that traffic on Route 50 was “horrendous” and backed up through the Upper Township community.
Traffic will be detoured around the area during closures.
Thornton said he called the office of Gov. Chris Christie asking why the work could not have been scheduled for a time other than the county’s busy season. “All I have gotten is silence. How dumb is this?” Thornton said.
Clerk of the Board Elizabeth Bozzelli said that she was contacted by a representative from Christie’s office who “Refuted all the negatives saying everyone had been consulted and agreed.”
“They’re blaming it on Upper Township and Corbin City,” added Thornton.
“They’ve got to blame somebody,” said Vice-Director Leonard Desiderio.
According to a June 2 release, DOT officials announced a Route 50 southbound detour to accommodate summer weekend traffic as the Tuckahoe River Bridge rehabilitation project advanced.
NJDOT has been working closely with local officials in Corbin City and Tuckahoe, who requested the summer detours to help alleviate traffic backups that are expected with the bridge reduced to one lane and an alternating traffic condition. Access to local roads will be maintained for local traffic.
Motorists heading to Cape May in the summer are strongly urged to use alternate routes. Delays are expected because of the ongoing construction.
Starting June 4 and continuing every weekend until the end of the summer, NJDOT’s contractor South State, Inc., will detour motorists from Route 50 southbound between Mosquito Landing Road and Route 49, past the construction zone to accommodate the expected summer traffic.
All motorists will follow the existing southbound truck detour on the following days and times throughout the summer.
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sundays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Route 50 Southbound Detour:
• Motorists traveling on Route 50 southbound will be directed to bear right onto CR637/Cumberland Avenue.
• From CR637/Cumberland Avenue, make a left onto CR666/Cape May Avenue.
• Make a left onto Route 49 eastbound.
• Continue on Route 49 eastbound and make a right onto Route 50 southbound.
The $11.7-million federally-funded project, which began in October 2013 will demolish and replace the existing, structurally-deficient bascule lift drawbridge with a new low-level, fixed-span structure over the Tuckahoe River connecting Upper Township in Cape May County with Corbin City in Atlantic County. The project will reconstruct and widen the highway in the vicinity of the bridge, and provide safety and operational improvements at intersections including the addition of new dedicated turn lanes. New sidewalks and curbs will be installed along Route 50, and the existing drainage system will be upgraded. The project is expected to be complete by summer 2017.
Variable message signs and lane closure signs are being utilized throughout the project limits to provide advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the deck replacement project. Throughout the project, NJDOT will provide information before upcoming road closures.
The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow them on Twitter @NJDOT_info.