Smile, It’s Just a Temporary Slowdown

Unless you’ve been cloistered in a remote area of Cape May County you have seen many construction projects virtually everywhere you go. It must be a harbinger of better times when we see men and machines in action. There are, naturally, detractors who complain about have to slow down, take detours, or not go where you’ve been going for decades.
The Garden State Parkway overpass projects are really an improvement long overdue, and in a few short years, we will not remember how we used to get around, but for those of us who must retrain our brains how to get off at the right place, the recent changes are taxing. The other day in the barbershop I heard some complaints about the new way to get off by the hospital. He said a car passed him, and then zipped right off into the exit.
The other night, I found myself awaiting the change of color in the Crest Haven Road traffic signal. I waited and waited, then, having the call of nature, and wondering if I would see sunrise before the color switched to green, I sped north to the Avalon turnoff. There, I did a quick hair-pin turn and got onto the southbound launch ramp, and away I sped. Yes, it was a mile or so out of the way, but I got satisfaction that I was speeding over that darned light that was probably still red.
I was absent-mindedly thinking I would turn off at Mechanic Street. Nuts, that’s not possible, I reminded myself, and had to do a quick exit onto Stone Harbor Boulevard. Fortunately, that light was green, and home was but a scant few minutes west.
Having taken a number of photos of the progress since ground-breaking, I know readers are aware of the changes and are trying their best to adapt.
Another vehicular driving delight is Sea Isle City Boulevard, which could possibly give timid soul claustrophobia. Get over it. That’s the price of progress. Think of the engineering involved in raising that highway 4.5 feet, and anyone can understand why things are as they are.
As signs proclaimed on Con Edison jobs, “A temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement.” So sayeth the gang from Madison Avenue. Still, when you find yourself in the middle of a construction slowdown, and the appointment is already 10 minutes late, it’s tough to remind yourself this is all for the better. (Go ahead, say it three times.)
Mechanic Street in Court House has been lit up like Times Square the last few evenings, and it was not for Christmas in Court House. Similarly, work on Route 9 in the south end of the county seat is slowing things a tad, but we will marvel when it’s all done.
It’s way too cold to think about biking, which is likely why Atlantic City Electric has hefty metal poles ready to plop into the ground along portions of the Middle Township Bike Path. The new poles will last much longer than this writer, to be sure, and will sustain high winds, flocks of birds and, should a bicyclist crash into one; they will learn a valuable lesson in keeping their hands on the handlebars and not texting while biking.
The folks in Wildwood will soon be seeing lots of work done on New Jersey Avenue, thanks to a $2.5-million contract the county awarded to South State Inc. of Bridgeton on the evening of Dec. 9. The avenue, also known as County Road 621, will be resurfaced from Youngs Avenue to 26th Avenue. According to County Engineer Dale Foster that roadbed is so pitiful, (he used a kinder explanation, “very poor”) to note the job will entail digging 15 inches down to put a decent base on the road.
Included in the project’s price are sidewalks and traffic signals. Best of all, when completed, Wildwoodians will have a completely new New Jersey Avenue the entire length of the city.
Foster told freeholders it is expected that project will “Move very quickly and be done for the summer season.” The project is partly funded with federal dollars, and there were four bids for the job. That means companies are hungry for work, which could be one reason we are seeing so much activity.
Another job awarded to South State was for $784,653 to resurface Hope Corson Road in Upper Township. Officials have received complaints about the condition of that road, which, like the Wildwood road, will mean rebuilding the base and laying a lot of asphalt to smooth the way.
That project will “take place this spring when weather breaks, and will alleviate the complaints by Foxborough Road,” Foster said.
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton asked Foster about South State’s base of operation. While it’s in Bridgeton, Foster said, the company operates an asphalt plant in Woodbine. “Most workers on most of the projects are from Woodbine,” Foster said. Among jobs the company has landed, Thornton Way, in Crest Haven complex and Sea Isle City Boulevard.
“As long as they keep jobs in the county that’s my concern,” said Thornton, the Way’s namesake.
Suffer the construction slowdowns with a smile. Remember Con Ed, “A temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement.”