Demolition of South Jersey bridge parallel to Parkway ends
The blast Friday morning demolishing the last portion of the Beesley's Point Bridge foundation. The span connected Atlantic and Cape May counties. (Image: New Jersey Turnpike Authority)
A bridge that millions have passed while crossing the Great Egg Harbor Bay on the Garden State Parkway between Atlantic and Cape May counties is now completely gone.
Closed in 2004 due to structural problems, crews blasted the last foundation section of Beesley’s Point Bridge yesterday morning, according to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the agency that operates the Garden State Parkway.
As the demolition of the nearly 90-year-old bridge that was once a private toll road ends, motorists are enjoying the smooth ride on the recently completed nearby Garden State Parkway southbound bridge.
Cape May County and the New Jersey Department of Transportation had come to an agreement in 2008 to repair the nearly 5,000-foot span for $20 million, but it ultimately fell through due to financial concerns, according to published reports at the time.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority later added the demolition of the languishing bridge to its Parkway project.
A portion of the bridge under demolition caught fire in September. With access impossible from land, numerous fire boats responded to douse the flames that consumed a toll booth next to the raised drawbridge.
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