Van Drew Updates County Chamber on Route 55, Parkway Bridge

BURLEIGH — At the 24th Legislative Update hosted by the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce, Thur., Aug. 18. Sen. Jeff Van Drew addressed “questions we’ve heard from people in different chambers.”
One of those queries by Dan Glaze, “What’s the status of Route 55 coming into Cape May County?”
Van Drew said he would “Continue to work to push for it.” However, he didn’t paint a positive picture for the extension into the county.
Lenora Boninfante, county information director, said that, 29 year ago, when she first worked in the county when the late Assemblyman and Wildwood Mayor Guy Muziani, that same question was asked of him.
Noting the issue of Route 55 was twofold, Van Drew said he believed the environmental issue could be overcome with a raised, elevated roadway to save lives and preserve the environment.
“It has been extremely difficult in this legislature. Both parties are very concerned. The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club and a host of environmental groups, not just around the state and country, but around the world have identified those wetlands as most sensitive wetlands,” Van Drew said.
He cited some legislation that would dictate the Departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation “have to work together to come up with a plan that is environmentally and fiscally feasible.”
Another woe that has long afflicted county and state officials, Beesley’s Point Bridge, also surfaced in the discussion.
While the state has agreed to pay the county for removing the bascule sections of the unused bridge, linking Cape May and Atlantic counties via Route 9, there is another bridge in the making.
That is a “new southbound (Garden State Parkway bridge into Cape May County with a third lane to serve for the evacuation we were talking about,” said Van Drew.
“As painful as the Beesley’s Point experience has been, we want to make sure Cape May County is taken care of,” he added.
Both north and southbound parkway bridges, built in the 1950s, have “structural deficiencies,” said Van Drew.
“If we have that serious hurricane, everybody would be going north and west, and National Guard would be coming in on the Beesley’s Point Bridge, and we are going to have a real issue.”
After the county, which bought the bridge for $1 from private owners, did an engineering study to evaluate feasibility of renovating the bridge, and decided not to proceed, “Cape May county wisely said ‘We are not going to do it “fix the bridge) and the state agreed,” said Van Drew.
As first phase of the state’s commitment, the bascule spans will be taken out. “We are committed to that on paper. We have the document,” he said.
Another issue on minds of many chamber members is the construction of overpasses to eliminate grade crossings at Crest Haven Road, Stone Harbor Boulevard and Shell Bay Avenue.
The $100-million project has funding in place, Van Drew said.
“The congressman (LoBiondo) obtained 20 percent, $20 million, and the other $70 million was able to be obtained from New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
The job would create jobs, save lives, and will “make lives easier once done,” said Van Drew.
Seems there is a bureaucratic stumbling block: “Tons of red tape and tons of duplication,” said Van Drew. That happens “when one government agency doesn’t agree with the other,” Van Drew said.
Construction of overpasses, he said, would mean wetlands mitigation.
“That means in New Jersey, if you take away wetlands, you must create some somewhere else. It is not as if we are taking away pristine wetlands, it’s along the Garden State Parkway, I don’t know why it’s necessary, but it is,” he added.
Because the project is partly funded with federal dollars, the Army Corps of Engineers becomes involved. However, the N.J. Turnpike Authority and Corps are at bureaucratic loggerheads.
“It seems as if it’s unobtainable for a lot of bureaucratic reasons. It’s very aggravating,” said Van Drew. Because of that, the Turnpike Authority must seek another wetlands mitigation area. “Otherwise I think we could break ground this autumn,” said the senator.
“I learned a long time ago don’t commit to things unless you can do it. They are hopeful to begin to break ground next autumn…I wish we did not get the federal money,” he added,
“It’s tough to deal with, and meanwhile someone may die at a traffic light,” Van Drew said.