Cape May County’s Two Mile Bridge reopens earlier than expected

🚧 A shaft that allows the Middle Thorofare Bridge to open and close failed

🚧 The bridge was kept in the open position to accommodate marine traffic

🚧 County employees worked to come up with a solution

LOWER TOWNSHIP — The Middle Thorofare Bridge reopened much sooner than anticipated with vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians able to use the bridge again as of 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the Cape May County Bridge Commission.

The 85-year-old crossing, also known as the Two Mile Bridge, connects Wildwood Crest/Diamond Beach in Lower Township to Cape May. It closed Saturday morning after a total failure of the drive shaft motor used to open and close the bridge.

It appeared a replacement would be difficult to find, according to county officials. The bridge would remain in the up postion to accomodate marine traffic which has the right of way.

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County employees 'made a miracle happen'

County and Bridge Commission staffers worked “tirelessly from morning until night” to come up with a repair to the the shaft and make it function, according to Commissioner Director/Liaison Leonard Desiderio. He said in a statement they took a "best-case multi-week closure scenario and made a miracle happen."

"On behalf of the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners, I want to extend my heartfelt and sincere thanks to our county public works, bridge commission staff, and consultant electrical engineers for their efforts to source a new motor and for working long hours to repair the system that resulted in the reopening of the Middle Thorofore Bridge," Desiderio said in a statement.

There are no restrictions in place for the bridge's use.

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