County Awards $19,400 Contract to Fix Corson's Inlet Bridge by Friday

In an emergency meeting Monday, the Cape May County Bridge Commission awarded a $19,400 contract to Allied Painting Inc. of Cherry Hill to replace a section of railing on the Corson's Inlet Bridge.

The bridge, which connects Strathmere and Ocean City, has been closed since a Feb. 1 single-car incident in which an SUV drove through the railing and crashed into the water. A pair of Ocean City High School seniors survived the crash with minor injuries after swimming to safety.

The company must complete the work within four days (starting Tuesday) or face penalties of $1,000 per day.

The contract calls for repairs only to the 40-foot section of railing damaged in the accident.

The county last year postponed replacing the rusted railings for the entire length of the bridge when bids came in at $3.5 million—$1.5 million above what the county anticipated the project would cost. The railings are more than 60 years old.

A traffic signal and traffic gate also damaged in the crash have already been replaced by the county.

Monday's meeting involved declaring the bridge closing an emergency, so the commission could award the contract without going through a lengthy bidding process.

In making that case, Cape May County Engineer Dale Foster cited the Strathmere residents who work or go to school in Ocean City, the agreement in which the Ocean City Fire Department provides rescue and ambulance services to Strathmere and the designation of the bridge as an emergency evacuation route for Strathmere residents.

The county received a second bid from IEW Construction Inc. of Trenton for $24,000 and completing the work in 10 days.

The bridge closing forced Strathmere residents to drive about an extra 12 miles to reach 34th Street in Ocean City.

For Strathmere residents like Rosemary Stuart, who works at the Ocean City Intermediate School, or for Sea Isle City residents like Doug Frohock, who swims regularly at the Ocean City Aquatics and Fitness Center, the news was welcome.

The students involved in the crash, Nicole and Michael Crudele, are both at home following the accident but have not yet returned to school. The twins live in Sea Isle City and commute to Ocean City for school. They were able to escape the car through broken windows and swim to the nearby beach in 36-degree water. Their injuries were minor and included lacerations to the face and a concussion.

Police say the cause of the crash is still undetermined.