Dale Foster

CREST HAVEN — County Engineer Dale Foster updated attendees at the 7th annual Cape May County Transportation Infrastructure Conference Tue. Feb. 22 on a multitude of projects to repair roads, bridges and install new traffic signals from one end of the county to the other.

Our county has 23 bridges with half over 1,000 feet long, which makes them expensive to repair, he said.
Bridge improvement projects include a widening and rehabilitation of the Avalon Boulevard Bridge, which will receive a left turn lane coming into Avalon. The deck of the bridge will be replaced which is in deplorable condition, said Foster. The project is expected to be completed by Memorial Day Weekend and has a price tag of $3.8 million.

Sidewalks will be limited to the north side of the bridge following the widening. The project includes rehabilitating a steel bulkhead.

The Ocean Drive (CR619) Bridge over Townsends Inlet at the south end of Sea Isle City will be painted. Foster said the work includes removing red, lead based paint and a layer of grease. An organic epoxy three-coat paint system will be applied.

The Grassy Sound Bridge between Stone Harbor and North Wildwood is newly painted. The project began last August and will be completed around Memorial Day, said Foster.

The 96th Street Bridge is in the design phase and will receive mechanical, electrical and structural repairs, he said. Foster said the bridge was constructed in 1933 and is one of only six remaining bridges of its type in the nation.
Most of the repairs will take place around the movable span, he said.

Road resurfacing is scheduled for Bayshore Road in Villas from Weber to Miami avenues. The contract totals $1.8 million. Foster said the road has a number of patches because the street has been opened for installation of water and gas lines.
He said motorists should expect some closures as the county plans to completely reconstruct the roadbed.

“We’re looking to do a three to four block area every week,” said Foster.

Final resurfacing will be done in late May.

Drainage and resurfacing improvements will be made to New Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood including the intersection of 13th Street and 20th through 25th streets, said Foster. He said the area has a number of failing drainage pipes. Bids for the project are expected March 1 with construction taking place April through May

The county will install flashing beacons at Stagecoach Road (CR667) and Hope Corson Road (CR 671), Washington Avenue and Woodbine-Ocean View Road, Beach Avenue in Cape May at the intersections of Pittsburgh Avenue and Broadway, Shunpike Road and Shellbay Avenue in Middle Township, and another at Fishing Creek Road and Shunpike Road in Lower Township.
All poles that are part of traffic signals at Avalon Boulevard and Ocean Drive will be replaced.

The Reed’s Beach Road culvert will be replaced. An inspection of the road has limited truck traffic to 14 tons which makes it difficult for trash trucks and fuel trucks for the marina, said Foster. The project is in the design process and if all permits are received from the state, construction could begin in the fall.

Roadway and drainage improvements are being designed for JFK Boulevard in Sea Isle City, coordinating with the Beach-to-Bay Corridor program. Foster said the county wanted to raise the height of JFK Boulevard as much as possible. The project includes a new traffic signal at JFK Boulevard and Park Avenue.

Proposals from consultants are being sought to design improvements for Landis Avenue in Sea Isle City from 54th to 69th streets. Last year, the county repaired 54th Street to JFK Boulevard where a number of old railroad ties were found to be buried in the pavement on the northbound side of Landis Avenue.
Foster said he expected construction to begin next spring.

The county has been working for a number of years on Sea Isle Boulevard in Dennis Township from between the Garden State Parkway and the Ludlam Thorofare Bridge. Cost is estimated at over $8 million and will take three years to construct because the road is being raised by about five feet, said Foster.
Three culverts will be replaced, built large enough in size to allow Diamondback Terrapin Turtles to use them to cross under the road.

Other road improvements under design include resurfacing Fulling Mill Road from Bayshore Road in Villas to Route 47 in Middle Township, an estimated $3 million project, said Foster. Construction could begin in early 2012.

Drainage and resurfacing improvements are under design for Hope Corson Road in Upper Township between Route 50 and Route 9. Foster said the project may be able to use FEMA funds for drainage improvements since the road floods from less than a half inch of rain near Route 50.

A safety improvement project is being designed for Bayshore Road from Sandman Boulevard to Town Bank Road in Lower Township.
Projects to synchronize traffic signals will take place on 34th Street in Ocean City and along Rio Grande Avenue in Wildwood, estimated at about $800,000 because the project includes updating the traffic signals, said Foster.

County Roads to be repaired include:
• Dias Creek Road from Stagecoach Road to Mechanic Street.
• Goshen Road from Mechanic Street to Timothy Lane.
• Mechanic Street from Goshen Road to Boyd Street.
• Hand Avenue from Dias Creek Road to Boyd Street.
• Indian Trail Road from Route 9 to Shunpike Road

Roadway improvement projects expected to go to design phase:

• Bay Avenue improvements from 6th Street to 18th Street in Ocean City to tie into 9th Street Causeway project.
• Woodbine-Ocean View Road improvements from Washington Avenue in Woodbine to Route 9 in Dennis Township with possible widening at Route 9 intersection.
• Fishing Creek Road/Academy Road reconstruction from Bayshore Road to Seashore Road in Lower Township.
• Roosevelt Boulevard (CR623) scoping project from Tuckahoe Road Extension in Upper Township to Central Avenue in Ocean City.
• Ocean Drive resurfacing from 29th Street to 42nd Street in Avalon.
• New Jersey Avenue resurfacing from 26th Street to Youngs Avenue in Wildwood.

Stormwater infrastructure improvements will be made on Third Avenue from 80th Street to 96th Street in Stone Harbor. Foster said the area gets inundated with tidal flooding. He said there is a lack of pipes from the east side of Third Avenue to the west side of Third Avenue to the back bay.