Saving Seafood

NEW JERSEY: Middle Thorofare Bridge in Cape May County, New Jersey, is set to be replaced with $400 million project

July 23, 2025 — 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.

Read the full article at CBS News

NEW JERSEY: Middle Thorofare Bridge in New Jersey reopens ahead of schedule after mechanical issue

August 22, 2024 — The Middle Thorofare Bridge/Two Mile Bridge in Lower Township is back in use on Wednesday, just three days after officials warned it would be stuck and inaccessible to traffic for several days or weeks.

The bridge connecting Wildwood Crest to Cape May got stuck in the fully upright position after a major mechanical failure on the motor that raises and lowers the movable deck to make room for boat traffic, officials said.

With drive-shaft motors not readily available, the county warned it could be several days or weeks before cars, bicycles and pedestrians could cross the bridge again.

Read the full article at CBS News

Local seafood company praises Cape May County officials for keeping Middle Thorofare Bridge up

August 20, 2024 —  A local seafood company is praising the Cape May County Bridge Commission for leaving the Middle Thorofare Bridge up following a mechanical failure to allow fishing vessels to continue to use the Port of Wildwood/Cape May.

The port is the largest in the state and would have lost millions of dollars if vessels were forced to go elsewhere, according to a news release from Lund’s Fisheries. The port brings in species such as squid, scallops and several types of finfish.

“Losing access to the Port through this waterway would have been devastating for Cape May’s fishermen and the economy of the whole County,” the company’s president, Wayne Reichle, said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Bridge Commission and all Cape May County officials who made the decision to prioritize keeping the waterway accessible for vessels, ensuring that the port remains open and active while the bridge undergoes the needed repairs.”

Read the full article at The Press of Atlantic City

NEW JERSEY: Cape May keeps drawbridge open for fishing traffic

August 20, 2024 — A“total failure” of a drive shaft motor led Cape May N.J. officials to leave the Middle Thorofare drawbridge locked open, ensuring continued vessel access to the nation’s 6th-most valuable fishing port.

The bridge in Lower Township carries a two-lane road between Cape May and Wildwood Crest over the Intracoastal Waterway. At 10 a.m. Saturday Aug. 18 the motor used to open the bridge failed, according to a summary from the Cape May Bridge Commission.

 “The bridge electrical engineers performed many tests, concluding that the motor was inoperable and irreparable,” according to the agency. “The Bridge Commission is currently reviewing all options available both nationally and globally to source this highly specialized motor with the goal of replacement as soon as possible, with the best-case scenario is it taking many weeks.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NEW JERSEY: Temporary repair planned for damaged bridge between Wildwood Crest and Cape May

August 20, 2024 — The Cape May County Bridge Commission is working on a temporary solution to reopen the Middle Thorofare Bridge that connects Cape May to Wildwood Crest and Diamond Beach, possibly enabling traffic to return in the coming weeks. A motor failure on Saturday caused the drawbridge to be stuck in an upright position, resulting in an indefinite closure with significant disruptions.

The county’s interim plan will be to install an auxiliary motor to make the bridge operational in the short term while a specialized replacement for the primary motor is custom built.

The bridge commission’s executive director, Kevin Lare, said Tuesday the auxiliary motor could be installed within a week, at the soonest, but could take as long as a month.

Read the full article at PhillyVoice