Townsends Inlet Bridge to remain closed Memorial Day weekend

A major bridge in Cape May County will remain closed for the busy Memorial Day weekend.

Townsends Inlet Bridge, a movable span connecting Sea Isle City and Avalon, will not be operational since refurbishment work is still ongoing, Cape May County Engi­neer Dale Fos­ter said today in a release.

The mov­able span will con­tinue to be locked in the “up” posi­tion, allowing boats passage through the nav­i­ga­tion portion of the bridge, according to Foster. 

“As of two weeks ago, Mugrose Con­struc­tion was con­fi­dent that the bridge would be open for traf­fic over the Memo­r­ial Day Week­end,” the engineer said. “The replace­ment of the gears and racks that oper­ate the mov­able span is a very chal­leng­ing and del­i­cate con­struc­tion oper­a­tion.”

Foster expects that it will take at least two to three weeks before the movable space is safe for vehicular traffic. 

“While it is dis­ap­point­ing that the Townsends Inlet Bridge is not avail­able for use over Memo­r­ial Day week­end, we must use cau­tion to ensure the safe and reli­able oper­a­tion of the bridge,” Foster said. 

The bridge has been closed to accommodate the activity since early January. It is one of Cape May County’s structurally deficient bridges.