About the Project
The Townsends Inlet Bridge was built in 1939 and is nearing the end of its service life. The bridge has been rehabilitated several times in the past 10-15 years; and most recently Spans 1 through 7 were replaced in July 2019. The most current Bridge Re-Evaluation Report indicates that the bridge is in overall poor condition, due to the poor condition of its superstructure and substructure and low inventory ratings.
In order to replace the bridge or perform a major rehabilitation using federal or state funding, a Local Concept Development (LCD) Study must first be completed to gain project input from public officials, stakeholders, and the general public. The LCD process will develop a Purpose and Need Statement and establish project goals and objectives to help examine conceptual alternatives. A range of alternatives will be studied, such as:
As the bridge serves many varied interests, the LCD Study process is designed to enable full public participation. Conceptual plans for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Townsends Inlet Bridge will be presented to the public so that the community’s voices are heard.
During the LCD Study, the Project Team will coordinate with representatives from the NJDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Cape May County, Cape May County Bridge Commission, Sea Isle City, the Borough of Avalon and other stakeholders.
What are the Components of a LCD Study?
Public Outreach
The Project Team will prepare a Public Involvement Action Plan (PIAP) to outline the public participation process during the Study. Public Outreach, an important component of a LCD study, helps guide the planning process by facilitating public input.
Existing Conditions
The Project Team is gathering data from the bridge vicinity on Ocean Drive including bridge condition reports, traffic conditions, crash data, local demographics, and environmental information in association with the LCD Study.
Developing the Purpose and Need Statement
The Project Team will prepare a statement that explains the project’s purpose and need, and goals and objectives. This statement will define the problem that needs to be addressed and describe other issues that need to be considered as part of the overall solution.
Navigation Impact Study
With the bridge spanning a waterway under the jurisdiction of the US Coast Guard, a navigation impact study will need to be completed for the determination of how the various considered alternatives will accommodate existing and future users of the waterway. The US Coast Guard will issue a Preliminary Navigation Clearance Determination (PNCD) following their review of the navigation impact study report. This information will a major factor in the selected Preferred Alternative to advance to Local Preliminary Engineering Phase.
Alternatives Analysis
The Project Team will consider all feasible and prudent conceptual alternatives to meet the Purpose and Need Statement along with the Project Goals and Objectives. Engineers will provide technical information for each alternative. The range of options as possible conceptual alternatives will include a “no-build” alternative, major rehabilitation, and bridge replacement. Local officials, community stakeholders, and the public will have an opportunity to review and provide feedback to the developed conceptual alternatives.
Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA)
Once the conceptual alternatives have been identified, the Project Team will incorporate data collected from public outreach, existing conditions, environmental screening, constructability, estimated costs and create an alternatives analysis matrix to recommend a preliminary preferred option, called a Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA).
The Team will develop a conceptual plan for the PPA as part of the final Local Concept Development Report. Once the PPA receives resolution of support by the municipalities and the County, and with concurrence from the Inter-Agency Review Committee (IRC), the project will move to the Local Preliminary Engineering phase.