August 18, 2024
Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera/Facebook
Middle Thorofare Bridge, a toll bridge in Cape May County, is closed to all vehicles, bikes and pedestrians due to a motor failure that cannot be repaired. The bridge is now locked in the upright position to allow commercial vessels to pass through.
Middle Thorofare Bridge, connecting Lower Township and Wildwood Crest in Cape May County, is closed to all vehicles, bikes and pedestrians for the foreseeable future after the drawbridge got stuck in its upright position.
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Due to a "motor failure that could not be repaired," the bridge deck is locked upright, which allows boats and other vessels to pass on the water, Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera said Sunday on Facebook.
The 85-year-old bridge, also known as the Two Mile Bridge, has had a total failure of its drive shaft motor, which opens the drawbridge portion on demand, according to a news release from the Cape May County Bridge Commission, which owns the bridge. The failure was discovered at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Electrical engineers performed numerous tests on the bridge, and concluded that the motor was "inoperable and irreparable."
The bridge commission is now reviewing options to source the "highly specialized motor" to try to replace it as soon as possible. They said the "best-case scenario" is that it will take "many weeks."
"There is no time line on reopening at this time," Cabrera wrote on Facebook. "It could be an extended period of time. If you plan to travel south toward Cape May, Lower, or Garden State Parkway (or north into Lower and Wildwood Crest) you will need to drive around / take alternate routes."
The toll bridge – which connects Wildwood Crest to the Garden State Parkway – was built in 1939 and has been described as beyond its service life and in need of replacement, which could cost more than $238 million, the Press of Atlantic City reported. County officials gave notice of electrical work on the bridge in late July.
Signs and traffic cones currently alert drivers that the Middle Thorofare Bridge is closed. Visitors entering and leaving Wildwood Crest can use the George Redding Bridge in Wildwood. More information will be provided as it becomes available, officials said. All businesses on both sides of the bridge remain open.
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