Shore bridge to close once again for rehabilitation work

Officials say a bridge that connects two New Jersey shore towns will be closed for three weeks in order to replace its railing.

The Townsends Inlet Bridge, connecting Avalon and Sea Isle City in Cape May County, will close Monday, April 2 at 7:30 a.m. The new railing will be stronger and prevent cars from breaking through.

This is the second of four construction phases. Once the bridge reopens, the northbound lane on the Avalon side of the bridge will be closed during the third phase.

Traffic will flow in the southbound lane through the use of the temporary traffic signal system. No tolls will be collected while the bridge is reduced to one operable lane of traffic.

Engineers expect the bridge to operate on one lane until June, adding that there will be “no room for error” because of the narrow 10-foot lane width.

Cape May County officials say the project is expected to cost about $2.6 million.

Repairs have forced the closure of the bridge on numerous occasions in recent years. It is one of county’s most structurally deficient bridges.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.