Construction planned for the bridge and causeway between two counties
Posted on Saturday, January 20th
The bridges connecting 9t h Street in Ocean City to Somers Point, including the traffic circle, have been a source of consternation for motorists and local officials for more years than most care to remember.
Although replacement of the 70-year-old bridges and causeway is a lengthy and costly project being undertaken by the N.J. Department of Transportation, it is a necessary one.
This project will replace the two fixed and two moveable bridges that form the causeway that links Ocean City in Cape May County with Somers Point in Atlantic County.
The project extends from the intersection of Routes 9 and 52 in Somers Point, south along Route 52 (MacArthur Boulevard), through the Somers Point circle, over Great Egg Harbor Bay to Ocean City at Ninth Street and Bay Avenue.
The design phases of the project have been completed and the construction phases are expected to last for six years. The work will be done under two separate contracts, with the first — slated to begin in the coming months — encompassing the northbound and southbound lanes of Route 52 and those portions of the bridges and roadway over the islands. (Bridge Updates)
The construction will be timed so construction of the northbound lanes will be constructed off-line first, without interfering with traffic. The southbound lanes will be constructed after traffic is shifted over to the newly-constructed northbound lanes.
The second contract, which includes the remaining portions of the bridges over the islands and the navigable channels and the touchdown points in Somers Point and Ocean City, also involves replacement of the Somers Point Circle and improvements to MacArthur Boulevard.
The Route 52 project is the largest bridge replacement project under way by NJDOT in southern N.J.
When completed, the two-mile causeway replacement will be a bridge structure that will have two, high-level, fixed spans over the Ship Channel and Beach Thorofare (Intracoastal Waterway) and a touch-down area at Rainbow Island. It will have two 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders in each direction. Traffic will be separated by a concrete median barrier within the bridge limits.
Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to travel safely between Somers Point and Ocean City for the first time using a wide sidewalk that will also accommodate wheelchairs.
