Great Egg Harbor Bridge

The Great Egg Harbor Bridge is a series of four bridges along the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, with tolls collected in the southbound direction. It crosses the Great Egg Harbor Bay, connecting Upper Township, in Cape May County to Somers Point in Atlantic County. The bridge crosses over a section of Egg Harbor Township, and Drag Island. It carries a portion of U.S. Route 9.

Great Egg Harbor Bridge
Looking northeast from the Upper Township shore, the 2016 bridge is in the foreground
Coordinates39°17′35″N 74°37′21″W
Carries G.S. Parkway / US 9
CrossesGreat Egg Harbor Bay
Maintained byNew Jersey Turnpike Authority
Characteristics
DesignCauseway
Total length1.47 miles (2.37 km)
History
Opened
  • 1956 (original southbound)
  • 1972 (northbound)
  • 2016 (replacement southbound)
  • 2019 (replacement northbound)
Statistics
Toll
  • $2.10 for cars with cash
  • $2.02 for cars with E-ZPass
    (southbound only)
Location

Description

The Garden State Parkway is a tolled limited-access highway that serves as the primary route connecting the Jersey Shore to points north and south in New Jersey. Upper Township in Cape May County connects with Somers Point via the Great Egg Harbor Bridge on the Parkway.[1] This bridge first crosses over Harbor Road, which is the last street in Beesley's Point, connecting homes along Great Egg Harbor Bay and Peck Bay to U.S. Route 9.[2][3] The bridge then crosses Great Egg Harbor Bay to Drag Island, which it crosses as a causeway. A small portion of the bridge enters Egg Harbor Township. Another bridge crosses Drag Channel to the mainland of Atlantic County in Somers Point.[4][1]

As with the rest of the Garden State Parkway, the bridge is a component of the National Highway System,[5] a network of roadways that are important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[6] The bridge carries two lanes of traffic in each direction.[5] The bridge is used heavily in the summertime, peaking on Saturdays.[1]

History
Northbound Garden State Parkway heading towards the bridge

In 1952, the New Jersey Highway Authority (NJHA) was created to facilitate the construction of the Garden State Parkway.[7] In October 1954, the NJHA received bids for constructing a 3,650-foot (1,110 m) bridge crossing the Great Egg Harbor Bay, beginning at Beesley's Point, as well as a 750-foot (230 m) bridge crossing Drag Channel. The bridges would be linked by a causeway, and form a part of the Garden State Parkway. In construction, the bridge project utilized 140 prestressed concrete beams, each 40 feet (12 m) in length, at an individual cost of $640 (equivalent to $6,974 in 2022). The project also used a concrete deck at the cost of less than $2 per square foot.[8] On May 26, 1956, the Great Egg Harbor Bridge opened at a cost of US$4.5 million, completing the Garden State Parkway.[7][4]

The bridge carried traffic in both directions, but soon was unable to accommodate the increasing traffic. A parallel bridge carrying northbound traffic was opened in 1972.[4] In 1999, the northbound span was closed for seven weeks after cracks were found in the steel hangars.[9] In 2000, after cracking was found in the steel supports on the southbound bridge, construction crews made emergency repairs at the cost of $900,000 (equivalent to about $1,529,000 in 2022).[10]

Reconstruction

A 2002 study by the NJDOT Bridge Management System indicated that both the northbound and southbound bridges over Great Egg Harbor were structurally deficient, and the crossing of Drag Channel was functionally obsolete.[1] A traffic study in 2004 identified poor pavement on the bridge.[1] To address the structural deficiency along substandard roadway, and to maintain a proper evacuation route, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) proposed a replacement bridge as early as 2010. The NJTA worked with the United States Coast Guard as the lead federal agency for the project due to the crossing over a navigable roadway. The proposed project would construct a new southbound bridge, wide enough to carry traffic in both directions in the event of an emergency, as well as carrying a multi-use pedestrian and bike path from US 9 in Somers Point to Harbor Road. Included in the project was demolishing the Beesley's Point Bridge,[11] built in 1928, and closed to traffic in June 2004 due to damage.[12][13] On September 20, 2012, the NJTA held a public meeting in Upper Township about the proposed bridge.[14]

In March 2013, the NJTA awarded Route 52 Constructors a $129.8 million (2013 USD) contract to build the southbound replacement bridge, and demolish the Beesley's Point Bridge. These were the same contractors to build the second phase of the New Jersey Route 52 replacement bridge, between Somers Point and Ocean City. Demolition of the Beesley's Point Bridge began in June 2013, and construction of the replacement southbound Parkway bridge began that September, 12 ft (3.7 m) west of the existing bridge.[15] Hardesty & Hanover, LLP designed the new crossing.[16] The bridge was supported by 20 piers with 3 columns each, using prestressed concrete beams. This created a wider channel than the original 1954 bridge. To test the performance of the pilings, the crew performed the first statnamic load test in the state of New Jersey. Construction crews worked to avoid disrupting migratory bird and fish species.[17] In August 2016, the new southbound bridge opened,[18] and in November of that year, the last part of the Beesley's Point Bridge was dismantled.[13] The project ultimately cost $142.9 million.[19]

In July 2016, the NJTA awarded a $49.8 million contract to rehabilitate the northbound span and demolish the old southbound bridge.[20][19] The road project was completed in May 2019.[13][21] On July 8, 2020, a bike and walking path opened on the southbound span, connecting Beesley's Point with US 9 in Somers Point. The northern portion in Somers Point required bikers and walkers to navigate traffic entering and exiting the Parkway, although there were plans to connect the path with the Somers Point Bike Path along US 9 and Somers Point–Mays Landing Road.[22]

See also

References
  1. U.S. 9/Garden State Parkway Corridor Study Draft Final Report (PDF). The Louis Berger Group, Inc. (Report). South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization. April 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  2. "Great Egg Harbor Bridge work closing Beesleys Point road this week". The Gazette of Upper Township. January 26, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  3. "Beesleys Point estate provides private retreat, inspiring view". Ocean City Sentinel. October 12, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  4. "The Garden State Parkway Crossing the Great Egg Harbor Bay" (PDF). New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  5. "Garden State Parkway Straight Line Diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. June 2015. p. 10. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  6. Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 26, 2013). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  7. Richard M. Casella; Julian Haas (2003). The History and Technology of the Edison Bridge & Driscoll Bridge (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. pp. 8–9.
  8. Robert M. Frame; Richard E. Mitchell (2014). Constructing Suburbia: The Hidden Role of Prestressed Concrete (PDF). Minnesota History. pp. 18–21.
  9. Nicholas Huba (November 16, 2015). "Night work speeds completion of new parkway span" (PDF). Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  10. Michael Miller (March 2, 2011). "Parkway to replace southbound Great Egg Harbor bridge; demolition pushed for Beesleys Point Bridge". Press of Atlantic City.
  11. Public Notice CENAP-OP-R-2011-634-35 (PDF) (Report). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  12. Lee Procida (December 19, 2012). "Closed bridge ties Beesleys Point to the quiet life". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  13. Columb Higgins (November 18, 2016). "Blast demolishes last of Beesleys Point Bridge". Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  14. Contract No. P100.251, Replacement of Southbound Garden State Parkway Bridges over the Great Egg Harbor Bay and Drag Channel (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Turnpike Authority. September 20, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  15. "Great Egg Harbor Bridge project on schedule for 2016 completion". The Gazette of Upper Township. January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  16. "Garden State Parkway over Great Egg Harbor Bay" (PDF). McNary Bergeron & Associates Engineered Construction. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  17. "Garden State Parkway over Great Egg Harbor Bay". Wagman, Inc. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  18. Jacqueline L. Urgo (January 15, 2017). "Get ready for two more years of traffic headaches at the Jersey shore". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  19. 2017 Capital Project & Investment Plan (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Turnpike Authority. 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  20. John Derosier (September 23, 2016). "Parkway bridge lane closings mean month of traffic delays". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  21. Writer, AMANDA AUBLE Staff. "Garden State Parkway bridge construction nearing a close". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  22. Michelle Brunetti (July 19, 2020). "New parkway bridge bike path opened quietly, but safety still concern in Somers Point". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

39.293°N 74.6225°W / 39.293; -74.6225

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