Bridge Closing Will Cause a 20-Mile Detour Between EHT and Longport

Your trip between Egg Harbor Township and Downbeach will get much longer next fall if you usually  travel... on the John F. Kennedy Bridge.  The 50-year-old span that connects Longport with EHT and Somers Point is in need of structural repairs and the work is expected to take two years to complete.

According to a plan approved Wednesday by Egg Harbor Township, the construction is scheduled to begin in May. The bridge will remain open during construction until after Labor Day, then close completely until April 15th, 2014.  This plan awaits final approval by Longport  commissioners February 20th. According to a Federal Highway Administration survey, an average of 7, 595 vehicles use the bridge daily.

The detour route during that period would likely take drivers down Shore Road from Somers Point to Albany Avenue in Atlantic City, and then along Ventnor Avenue back to Longport.

That means a trip between Longport and the section of Egg Harbor Township connected by the bridge that would presently be less than half a mile will now be a 20 mile detour!  Of course, you could opt for going across the Margate Causeway, a private roadway, which would save you 8 miles of traveling, but will cost $1.50 a trip. Ah, the price of progress.

Do you make this trip and how do you fell about this detour?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.