We’ll Cross That Bridge

County Commission Chief’s Overview of the Spans That Connect Us

What’s up with the local bridges, besides toll hikes?

The March implementation of fare increases on five Cape May County bridges is an appropriate time for Sea Isle City visitors and second homeowners to obtain a big-picture overview from the Cape May County Bridge Commission.

Sea Isle City motorists often travel the Townsends Inlet Bridge, the facility gaining most of the TLC in the past five years from the bridge commission.

The establishment owns and operates five toll bridges linking the Cape May County shore communities along Ocean Drive from Ocean City to Cape May:

• The Middle Thorofare Bridge between Cape May and Wildwood Crest

• The Grassy Sound Bridge between North Wildwood and Stone Harbor

• The Townsends Inlet Bridge between Sea Isle City and Avalon

• The Corsons Inlet Bridge between Strathmere and Ocean City

• The Ocean City-Longport Bridge between Egg Harbor Township, Atlantic County and Ocean City

Here are some excerpts from an interview conducted with Lewis Donofrio, the project manager and chief engineer for the Cape May County Bridge Commission.

Seven observations for residents and visitors to Sea Isle City.

1) Toll hikes take effect in mid-March and will be repeated each of the next two years.

Tolls will increase by 50 cents in 2022, 50 cents in 2023 and 50 cents in 2024 under a three-stage plan for the commission’s five bridges. The current toll of $1.50 for cars will double to $3 once the increase is fully implemented by 2024.

The money from the first fare increase in 12 years will be put back into maintenance, he indicated. Donofrio says the commission pays for inspection of the bridges and repair projects that often exceed $1 million.

The most recent, the Middle Thorofare rehabilitation, cost $7.4 million in 2020.

The Grassy Sound submarine cable replacement project cost $1.1 million in 2018.

Three others concerned the Townsends Inlet Bridge in 2018 and cost more than $11 million. The spans 1-7 replacement was $8.7 million, the largest commission bridge-repair expenditure on record dating back to 2006. The Inlet railing replacement cost $2.4 million. Substructure repairs were nearly $300,000.

2) There will likely be a new TI Bridge.

The task involves numerous steps.

“A replacement process plan for Townsends Inlet bridge is supposed to come out during the first quarter of this year,” Donofrio says.

The journey to a new bridge will include a local concept development plan, engineering studies, public comment, funding, bidding and construction. It will take several years.

The next phase is the local concept development plan.

“They look at many factors,” Donofrio says. “The study takes into account all modes of transportation. How many pedestrians will use the bridge? How many will have bicycles? Can we get shoulders on these bridges? Can we get places for people to walk? That all gets in.

“After the planning, you have to determine how high the bridge needs to be. Is it going to be in the same place or will it be moved?”

It may take several years for this new bridge to be built and cost anywhere from $65-167 million because the variables include particulars for bridge materials, the dimensions of the structure, future inflation and other considerations.

Any numbers mentioned now are just for discussion purposes.

3) Bridge closings often have little to do with the bridge.

Donofrio says closings often are caused by roads leading up to them, not the bridges themselves.

On the TI bridge, for example, Avalon encounters flooding on the low-lying causeway connecting to the bridge. Flooding may occur after a nor’easter and shut down the road for several hours. Donofrio says the road leading into Townsends Inlet is higher and less susceptible to flooding.

4) Height may make right concerning future bridges.

“You consider what happens if you can make the bridge a few feet higher,” Donofrio says. “You will have fewer bridge openings. Some of the larger boats are having trouble navigating now. Some are getting stuck on a sandbar, or a shoal that develops near the navigation channel.”

A higher opening would presumably give boaters more deep water to operate in and an easy passage through an opening that won’t block the vessel.

Fewer bridge openings would also reduce the emotional tug-of-war conducted at busy times between frustrated motorists and boat operators. That has appeared to work well in Ocean City, which showcased a $400 million elevated causeway for its 9th Street Bridge in 2012.

“The TI Bridge is 25-28 feet off of the water,” Donofrio says. “There is no stock answer about what is the right height. You take a look at the average height of the boats. How many openings now are for boats that are 30 feet high? How many are for 40 feet high? You look at those averages and try to come up with a sweet spot.

“You might find a situation, for example, that if you raise the bridge another 10 feet you can stop 30% of the openings.”

5) The drawbridge rules may not be what you think.

Travelers have become used to scheduled bridge openings, say at the top of the hour, and many can essentially set their watches by it. But there are moments when a time-consuming bridge opening is repeated moments later. Some motorists may sit in two bridge-opening lines before crossing, and fume.

“It is written into the U.S. Coast Guard federal regulations that we operate on demand,” Donofrio says. “If the vessel comes up to us and requests an opening, we have to comply. We can petition the Coast Guard to change the operating schedule at times, and we have done that during construction of bridges.

“But otherwise, we are on demand. We have seen it on Townsends Inlet, especially on a Saturday, that no sooner do you get the bridge back down and five minutes later there is another request.

“The toll collectors try to do a good job. They communicate with the vessels in situations like this. There is usually a little give-and-take on both sides.”

6) The bridges are often inspected.

Donofrio says that federal law mandates them to be inspected every two years.

Older bridges, like those in Cape May County, are often looked at every year. The substructure, steel and concrete are among the items examined.

“Safety is the paramount concern in our minds,” Donofrio says. “Our families drive over these bridges, too.”

7) The commission tries to mitigate traffic concerns.

Donofrio says the commission seeks to complete work before summer visitors arrive, alleviating at least one major traffic headache in the area.