Causeway to Open By The End of the Business Day Monday

Northbound lanes will be open to traffic Monday morning, and by the end of the business day Monday, May 14, all four lanes will be open on the revamped , New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officals confirmed during an luncheon Thursday afternoon, at the

“It’s an all-day event,” NJDOT Resident Engineer Daniel Lord said. “It’s an opening process. I don’t want people to think that come Monday morning, all four lanes will be open.”

But with the opening of the four lanes, the $400 million construction project that replaced two drawbridges with towering fixed spans and replaced a low-lying roadway with an elevated causeway comes one day closer to completion.

Incidental work will continue that may cause lane closure, Lord said.

“In general, the project is nearly finished,” he said.

The visitor’s center is expected to be complete by the end of August, with a targeted September opening, and the pedestrian and bike path is expected to reach its final conclusion at the same time, although the path from Somers Point to the Rainbow Island Piers will be ready on Monday, Lord said.

Once the lanes are completely reconfigured, the “high speed” bikers can return to the causeway, on the shoulder, and the final traffic lights will be installed. NJDOT officials estimated it would be a few more weeks before they are completely installed.

A left turn lane will be installed on the causeway for those who wish to take advantage of the fishing piers, but no left turn light will be installed.

“There will be a left turn lane, and they can turn when traffic allows,” Lord said.

“There will be a yield motion like the major routes around here have. The bridge is designed for ample sight distance.”

On the Somers Point side, there’s still work to be done around Somers Mansion, a new boardwalk will be added to the west side of the bridge, and a new boat launch will be installed. The Somers Point side of the project involved the removal of the Somers Point circle.

The whole project, which has been under construction for six years and in discussion even longer than that, is expected to be completely finished in December. 

Three Ocean City mayors oversaw the project from its start to its approaching finish, beginning with Bud Knight, who was in attendance during Thursday’s luncheon.

“My goal was to see it completed in my lifetime, so I’m grateful for that,” Knight said.  “I’m grateful that it was done with very few delays and inconveniences for local businesses.”

“The state helped Ocean City and Somers Point become prosperous and safe,” Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said. “ … This was all about two communities working together for public safety. It’s a state of the art bridge. It will help in weather-related situations, and when people need to get to the hospital.”

The project was designed to make travel safer.

“It’s a new recreation business, with fishing and kayaking and the visitor’s center. It’s not just a bridge; it’s a whole new attraction.”

The total cost of the project was $500 million, including design and construction. It’s the biggest project in the state, and was labeled a once-in-a-lifetime project by a few people at Thursday’s luncheon.

“We won’t ever see another project like this,” said Michele Gillian, Executive Director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. “ … It’s great for Ocean City. It’s a great way to show off our amenities and attractions.”

Discussions for the project initially began in the 1980’s, Michele Gillian said.

“I can’t wait until I can finally walk across it,” said Debbie Clark, who sits on the Ocean City Historic Museum Board. “It’s hard to believe it’s finally here.”