PETERSBURG — Township Committee has officially requested traffic safety measures during reconstruction of the Route 50 Bridge over Cedar Swamp Creek.
During a meeting Oct. 13, members adopted a resolution requesting the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners temporarily reduce the speed limit and designate the entire length of Tyler Road, the main detour route, a no-passing zone during the reconstruction project.
Committeeman Tyler Cassaccio said during the Township Committee meeting Oct. 13 that he attended the Department of Transportation informational meeting on the bridge replacement Oct. 5 at Township Hall.
“People of Tyler Road were not too thrilled with the impending detour but we heard their complaints,” he said.
Cassaccio said that led to introduction of the resolution regarding the request for a speed limit reduction and no-passing zone.
Mayor Curtis Corson said the posted speed limit is 50 mph.
“It would be hard for us to go 50 miles and hour down there and we don’t want people to go 50 miles per hour down there and pass when there’s going to be increasing traffic,” he said.
Announced in May during a visit by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the project by the New Jersey Department of Transportation will use a new, expedited method to replace the bridge. The $48 million project, which is the first being built under the innovative Design-Build delivery method, was expected to take about 30 months.
Plans initially called for keeping one lane open during construction but it was determined that a full closure of the road would expedite completion.
In August, the Board of County Commissioners supported the DOT’s proposed detour plan for the project. Part of Route 50 will be fully closed.
“By supporting a full closure and a carefully planned detour onto county roads, we are creating the conditions for the contractor to finish this important bridge project faster and with less overall disruption for residents and motorists,” Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio said. “Safety, coordination with emergency and school services, and minimizing long-term inconvenience remain our top priorities.”
Corson said a detour was planned even if one lane had remained open.
Township Administrator Jimmy Van Zlike said the full closure would cut construction time by about nearly half, expecting it to take 15 months
Detour routes
— Northbound Route 50 traffic will use Tyler Road (County Road 616) to Tuckahoe Road (County Road 631) and return to Route 50.
— Southbound Route 50 will use Tuckahoe Road to Tyler Road and return to Route 50.
— Southbound truck traffic will follow an extended detour east along Tuckahoe Road to Route 9, then south on Route 9 back to Route 50.
Temporary traffic signals will be installed at the intersections of Route 50 and Tyler Road and Tyler Road and Tuckahoe Road. The cost of the county’s review will be reimbursed through a required road opening permit fee.
According to the NJDOT, collapsing design and construction into a single contract delivers projects more efficiently and cost-effectively.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff