Any news on when this bridge is going to be replaced? i remember reading somewhere they are planning on tearing down the older of the two spans and replacing it with a new wider bridge.
Not anytime soon, the current widening program basically ends at this bridge. Any new bridge should have provisions for bicycle/ped use, as the parallel Beesleys Point Bridge is very likely to fall into the bay sometime soon. The nearest crossings for non-motor vehicle traffic is the NJ-50 bridge several miles inland or the NJ-52 bridge into Ocean City.
NJroadfan, the beesleys point bridge has had three feet fall into the bay already.
Didn't catch that news story. It was bound to happen eventually. They even note that bikers still use the bridge due to the lengthy detour to use the alternate crossings.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/northfield_linwood_somers-point/article_ae1c5f4c-7f1a-11df-843d-001cc4c002e0.html
NjRoadFan, another article states the drawspan is in the up position permamentaly due to issues with the machinery. Also the cost of keeping people there to close and open it is too much for the county.
Quote from: SteveG1988 on November 28, 2010, 08:15:26 AM
NjRoadFan, another article states the drawspan is in the up position permamentaly due to issues with the machinery. Also the cost of keeping people there to close and open it is too much for the county.
That I was aware of. Doesn't surprise me, the Cape May County Bridge Commission bridges that are still open (and charge a toll), aren't in the best of shape either. For example, the Middle Thorofare Bridge a closed to fire trucks to cross it due to weight limits and a 5 out of 100 sufficiently rating.... and they are still thinking of spending money on Beesleys Point? Just permanently re-route US-9 over the GSP already.
I honestly think that the parkway should be signed as Alt US-9 for most of its length, it pretty much acts as the express version of the road. The egg harbor bridge will need to be widened before there is a permament routing of US-9 over it anyway, due to increased traffic that it cannot fully handle nowadays.