By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Drivers crossing over the Corsons Inlet Bridge between Ocean City and Strathmere must carefully navigate their way through all of the potholes that have pockmarked the roadway.
But the agency that operates the toll bridge is planning to fix the potholes as part of a larger rehabilitation of the 75-year-old structure that will get underway this winter and cost millions of dollars.
At its monthly board meeting Thursday, the Cape May County Bridge Commission said the potholes will be patched in the winter or spring. There are also plans to replace some of the badly rusted and damaged bridge railings on the Strathmere side during the structure’s regular maintenance.
However, the main part of the bridge’s rehabilitation will be a new contract to fix the support system that holds up the drawbridge – or bascule section – of the structure.
“It physically holds the bascule. It is a major support for the bascule span,” said Lewis Donofrio, the Bridge Commission’s chief engineer.
The commission voted 3-0 Thursday to seek bids for the project, which is estimated to cost $3 million to $4 million and will be done over the winter. Donofrio said $1.6 million in state funding will help pay for the cost. The county will pick up the rest of the tab.
The drawbridge has not been lifted in the upright position since 2013, Donofrio said. Repairs to the support system will finally allow the span to be raised to allow boats to pass underneath the bridge.
Donofrio, though, noted that even when the Bridge Commission was operating the drawbridge prior to 2013 there wasn’t a lot of demand from boaters for the structure to be lifted. He pointed out that sediment buildup in the inlet near the bridge makes it difficult for boats to travel in the same area.
Corsons Inlet separates Ocean City and Strathmere and leads from the ocean through the barrier islands off the northeast coast of Cape May County.
Since 1946, the Corsons Inlet Bridge has served as a vital link along the Ocean Drive between Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle City. Altogether, 355,273 vehicles used the bridge from 2019 to 2020, Bridge Commission traffic figures show.
The bridge deck, however, is pitted with potholes, forcing drivers to carefully make their way across the span to avoid hitting the mini-craters. Donofrio said the Bridge Commission will award a contract to patch the potholes in late winter or early spring.
Corsons Inlet is one of five toll bridges operated by the Bridge Commission along the scenic Ocean Drive that links the Cape May County shore communities. The four other spans include the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, Townsends Inlet Bridge, Middle Thorofare Bridge and Grassy Sound Bridge.
Earlier this month, the commission announced plans for a three-stage toll increase that will raise the fare by a total of $1.50 on all five bridges.
The toll would increase by 50 cents in 2022, 50 cents in 2023 and 50 cents in 2024. The current toll of $1.50 for cars would double to $3 once the increase is fully implemented by 2024.
The commission is expected to vote at its meeting on Jan. 20 to formally approve the toll hike.
Higher tolls would generate extra revenue to help the commission pay for bridge maintenance and smaller repair projects, the agency says. Currently, the commission depends on Cape May County to pay for all maintenance, repairs and upgrades to the bridges.
“We really need to do this,” Bridge Commission member Maryanne Murphy said of the toll increase during Thursday’s meeting. “We don’t want to do it. But we need to do it for the safety of all the residents who go over the bridges.”
Four of the commission’s bridges date to the late 1930s or 1940s. Only the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, which opened in 2002, is a modern structure. The old bridges are often in need of upkeep and maintenance to keep them in safe condition.
