Dear Friends,
Cape May County is expected to begin a two-year project to replace the decking of the 34th Street Bridge on Thursday (Oct. 20). The entire bridge will be closed in both directions during the overnight hours starting at about 10 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 19) and continuing through 5 a.m. Thursday. The bridge closing will allow workers to install a concrete construction barrier.
When the bridge reopens on Thursday, traffic will be reduced to a single lane with a traffic light directing vehicles in alternating directions. The single lane will be in place through the first weekend of May 2017. The bridge will be open to traffic in both directions for the summer. The other half of the project will be completed in the 2017-18 off-season with a similar schedule of single-lane traffic.
I ask everybody to use the Route 52 causeway and Ninth Street Bridge to travel to and from Ocean City on Wednesday night. The single-lane traffic pattern in effect through the winter will be an inconvenience to everybody who uses the 34th Street causeway. I urge drivers to have patience as this important project is completed. The deteriorated condition of the bridge decking makes this project an important one for the safety of all.
Work to demolish the Ocean City Boardwalk between 8th Street and 10th Street began on Tuesday. The section leading to the Music Pier will be complete in time for First Night, and the entire project should be done by the end of March, if not earlier. Boardwalk businesses on either side of the project area (and some within the zone with access to the ramps and street) remain open. Please continue to patronize these establishments during construction.
Dredging of the back bay continues to move forward. Projects at Snug Harbor and Glen Cove are complete, and work at South Harbor is now underway. We’re also preparing to empty “Site 83” thanks to a new temporary road across the marshes near Roosevelt Boulevard.
We learned last week that the city will receive a $400,000 grant from the state to help recapture money already spent on Superstorm Sandy cleanup. The successful grant application returns money to taxpayers, and it represents just a small part of the millions of dollars we’ve received in grants over the past few years.
I’d like to thank all of the firefighters who volunteered their time on Thursday evening to put on the Ocean City Fire Department’s annual Open House for the community. The event coincides with National Fire Prevention Month. With features like a Jaws of Life demonstration and a mock house fire, our local firefighters do a great job of making it exciting for the whole community to learn about fire safety.
The Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Summit also took place on Thursday, and I was happy to report that revenue figures indicate a good summer season for Ocean City. We had more than $4 million in beach tag sales for the third year in a row and fell just $63,000 shy of last summer’s record high. We did set a record for parking revenue at more than $3.1 million. Representatives from all of the business segment in Ocean City also reported a largely successful season. I look forward to continuing our success throughout the remainder of the fall and into 2017.
Earlier this week, Ocean City received Blue Star Certification from Clean Ocean Action for our efforts to improve water quality. The city received Gold Level Recognition from the state’s Safe Routes to School Program. And we earned the highest Silver Certification in the state’s Sustainable Jersey program. These honors demonstrate the city’s commitment not only to improving our infrastructure, but to doing so in an environmentally responsible way. I hope you’ll join me in thanking and congratulating all the city team members who helped make the awards possible.
Warm regards,
Jay A. Gillian Mayor
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