New $5 million safety system to protect shore bridge from boat strikes

The Townsends Inlet Bridge linking the shore communities of Sea Isle City and Avalon will be getting a nearly $5 million safety system to prevent the 1930s-era span from being struck by boats.

The Cape May County Board of Commissioners has approved a contract for a new “fender system” to protect the bridge from potential boat collisions and to safely guide marine traffic through the swift-running inlet that connects the bay with the ocean.

“This project is an important investment in both safety and accessibility,” said Leonard Desiderio, who serves as director of the Board of Commissioners and mayor of Sea Isle City. “Our bridges and waterways are lifelines for residents, visitors, and our maritime industries. Ensuring that they remain safe, functional, and navigable is essential to the county’s long-term economic vitality and coastal heritage.”

The Bridgeton, N.J., construction company South State Inc. was awarded a $4.9 million contract from the county on Tuesday to replace the bridge’s old fender system with a new one.

The safety system will provide an extra layer of protection for the massive piers that support the bridge. Fenders are structures installed underneath the bridge to keep boats, barges and other marine vessels from slamming into the span and damaging it.

Underscoring the need for the safety system, the Townsends Inlet Bridge has a recent history of large boats striking it.

    A 52-foot yacht nearly sank after colliding with the bridge in 2023. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard)
  

A 52-foot yacht slammed into the fenders at night and nearly sank in June 2023. The fenders prevented the yacht from causing even more damage to the main section of the bridge. There were no injuries reported in the incident. The boat was later salvaged.

In July 2022, another major accident occurred when the Starfish charter boat based in Sea Isle was pushed into the bridge by the inlet’s strong currents.

The collision left a hole in the Starfish’s bow. The large charter boat, which was carrying 22 passengers at the time, took on water and ran aground. All passengers were safely evacuated.

The new fender system will be funded through a hybrid approach, with $1 million provided by the Cape May County Bridge Commission and the balance covered by the county.

Townsends Inlet is one of five toll bridges operated by the bridge commission along the coast-hugging Ocean Drive between Ocean City and Cape May.

South State has been authorized to begin the project and has until May 2026 to complete the job. The county will oversee the financial administration of the contract, while the bridge commission and its engineering team will manage field operations and inspections.

The project reflects ongoing collaboration between the county and the bridge commission to modernize aging infrastructure and enhance the safety of the county’s bridge network, which supports tourism, commerce, and local travel throughout the barrier islands and the mainland, according to a news release.

Expressing her thanks for the county’s funding, the bridge commission chairwoman, Carol Brand, noted that bridge construction “is super-expensive, and we could not do it without the county.”

    The Townsends Inlet Bridge, dating to 1939, is one of five spans operated by the Cape May County Bridge Commission.
  

The old-fashioned Townsends Inlet drawbridge was built in 1939 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal public infrastructure projects to provide work during the Great Depression.

The county has launched a Local Concept Development study for the replacement of the antiquated bridge.

The construction of a new Townsends Inlet Bridge is estimated to cost between $65.7 million and $167.7 million and would take years to complete, according to a county transportation report released in 2020.

The concept study represents another preliminary step in what has been a multiyear planning process to build a new bridge to connect Sea Isle and Avalon.

Under a projected timeline, preliminary work such as completing the designs, engineering and obtaining the regulatory permits for a new bridge might take as long as six years. Construction could add another three years, according to the 2020 report.