Middle Thorofare Bridge in Cape May County, New Jersey, is set to be replaced with $400 million project
Last summer, CBS Philadelphia highlighted problems with the Middle Thorofare Bridge, which links Cape May and Wildwood Crest in New Jersey.
The bridge, which has carried hundreds of thousands of cars between the Wildwoods and Cape May, is in rough shape.
In fact, its condition keeps some local officials awake at night.
But now, there is a plan to completely replace the crossing.
Joe Rotondi was casting off, trying his luck in a new spot, just beneath the bridge.
The North Jersey native has traveled the bridge countless times, but underneath, he said, the angle was an eye-opener.
"It's a little shaky," Rotondi said. "I'm assuming it's been here forever and things were built to last."
On the other side of the inlet, things are busy off Wayne Reichle's docks.
"We are harvesting between 75 to 100 million pounds of seafood annually," Reichle, the president of Lund's Fisheries, said.
Reichle's relationship with the Middle Thorofare Bridge is a finicky arrangement, as his boats sometimes get stuck in a slowed-down choreography due to timing and tides.
"Our business depends on that bridge going up and down," Reichle said. "Many of the fishermen that are going in and out of the bridge are often scared going in and out of there because there is such a narrow passage."
Reichle said a high tide helps for smoother navigation, but the bridge bottlenecks traffic.
"For us, it really hinders our production operation, so our business operates around high tide," Reichle said.
Problems go beyond commercial fishing.
Last year, the motor that opens and closes the two-lane toll bridge blew.
The span was closed for a couple of days, cutting off cars coming and going to Cape May and the Wildwoods.
A CBS News Philadelphia investigation last August revealed the 1939 crossing had a "critical structural rating" and is considered obsolete. Talk of a new Middle Thorofare Bridge around the Jersey Shore goes back 25 years.
"Engineering feat that was great in the day, but now needs to be modernized to accommodate the amount of traffic," Rotondi said.
Earlier this month, Cape May County leaders provided CBS News Philadelphia with plans that show construction of a fixed-span bridge.
The 80 feet of clearance between the bridge deck and bay will mean no more waiting for tides and bridge openings.
"Boats could actually pass during any tide, at any moment of the day or night, and basically our operations would not be restricted by the tide," Reichle said.
The new crossing will curve around the existing toll bridge, and it will remain open while the new bridge is built.
The cost for the project, according to Cape May County, is approaching $400 million. It also includes roadways elevated to exceed FEMA flood regulations.
The price tag makes it the county's most expensive project in its history.
"There is some light at the end of the tunnel, and we have a positive push behind us right now," Reichle said.
Permits and funding sources are still being worked out, and environmental impact studies are underway.
Cape May County expects the bridge won't be built for another five years. This isn't the only crossing that is in need of replacement — there are at least three other similar bridges along Ocean Drive.
Cape May County last year estimated a total cost nearing $1 billion.
