CAPE MAY — The pedestrian bridge connecting West Grant Street in West Cape May with First Avenue in Cape May could be completed by the end of the year, but first must receive multiple approvals.
The Historic Preservation Commission and City Council must grant their blessings and the state Department of Environmental Protection myst grants permits.
West Cape May engineer Anthony Chadwell updated the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) during a meeting Jan. 8 on conceptual plans for the project.
BPAC Chairman Jim Moffatt asked about the timeline.
“We’re targeting the end of this year, best case scenario, for construction to be complete,” Chadwell said. “Right now, we’re vetting all the conceptual and getting a permit package ready to submit to the DEP.”
He said the packet would be submitted following review and approval by the HPC and City Council.
“They have 90 days statutorily and they always ask for a 30-day extension, so call it four months after we submit the package,” Chadwell said. “And we have to decide on the design elements and go out to bid, which is probably about six months out.”
The actual construction of the bridge is estimated to take one to two months, depending on manufacturing. Chadwell said the bridge comes in one or two pieces from Minnesota, shipped on the back of a flatbed, and then will be lifted into place.
“Construction isn’t a ton of time; it’s mostly clearing and driving the piles for the abutments,” Chadwell said.
Background
West Cape May Borough Commission received a $700,000 local infrastructure grant in October to help fund its share of the project.
The goal is to safely move pedestrians and cyclists between Cape May and West Cape May off Sunset Boulevard.
Chadwell said the plans were reviewed by former borough Mayor Carol Sabo and current Mayor George Dick, along with city Mayor Zack Mullock.
The next phase of the project includes Cape May’s Historic Preservation Commission reviewing the bridge plans. Approval from the HPC is required before plans can be finalized.
City Council liaison Steve Bodnar added that elements are being addressed on both sides to ensure a seamless project between the two communities.
Bridge funding
Moffatt also inquired about the bridge’s funding. Chadwell said West Cape May has spearheaded many of the funding opportunities.
“What really kicked us off was the local recreation improvement grant from the DCA,” Chadwell said. “They got an $85,000 grant to fund a lot of the preliminary design to get us to this point.”
He added that the local aid infrastructure grant will fund the construction and inspection.
“There’s a good amount of grant money and I believe there’s some capital funds, if necessary, from the city of Cape May and the borough to tie any pieces together,” Chadwell said. “But it’s essentially completely covered by grants at this point.”
Dick said there are a few items the grant will not cover, and the agreement is that the municipalities would split the cost, which is not expected to be significant.
“I’m glad we’re in a position to keep moving forward,” Bodnar said. “We’re appreciative that West Cape May has taken the lead with design work as well as the permitting and grant work.”
Bridge design
The bridge is conceptualized as a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail for pedestrian and bicycle access.
Bodnar said some type of removable bollards might be incorporated at each end of the bridge to stop low-speed vehicles from crossing.
Chadwell said there are no proposals for illumination on the path, but the design team suggested LED lights on the bollard tops.
“You don’t want it lit up at night for multiple reasons: homeowners, birds, dark skies … ,” Dick said.
He noted that plans sent to the HPC included only renderings of the bridge.
Chadwell said the HPC talked about incorporating a wood element.
“I talked to my design team about Ipe wood — it’s a very strong, dense wood for the decking itself,” Chadwell said. “It’s getting harder to get, it’s out of South America, so we’ll reach out to the manufacturer and make sure that’s feasible. I’ll probably have a better answer by the time we get in front of City Council.”
Bodnar said the bridge design was nicely done and would fit in well with the landscape, in addition to providing a safe crossing.
“It’s going to look awesome,” Dick said. “Right now, you have two sides that are overgrown with phragmites, so we need to talk about what we do with that and how to landscape it.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave