The Great Egg Harbor Bridge is a toll bridge along the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, with tolls collected in the southbound direction. It crosses the Great Egg Harbor Bay, connecting Upper Township, in Cape May County to Somers Point in Atlantic County. The bridge crosses over a section of Egg Harbor Township.
The speed limit is 45 mph between Milepost 27 to Milepost 29, approaching and traversing the Great Egg Harbor Bridge, one of two stretches on the Parkway where the speed limit is so reduced (the other is between Milepost 126.7 and 127.7, approaching and traversing the Driscoll Bridge). The bridge runs just parallel to US 9 as it too crosses over the water. The Beesley's Point Generating Station can be seen past the US 9 bridge.
The southbound bridge was built in 1955 while the northbound bridge was built in 1973.
Before the Great Egg Harbor Bridge was completed, traffic on the Garden State Parkway was detoured onto US 9 and over the Beesley's Point Bridge. This old alignment still exists today and is slowly being consumed by nature.
In a twist of fate, Route 9 is now detoured onto the Great Egg Harbor Bridge as US 9 Temporary. The Beesley's Point Bridge immediately to the west has deteriorated in the marine environment and has been closed to traffic since June 2004.
In 2013, a project will begin to replace the southbound bridge and improve the northbound bridge. The project will also demolish the adjacent Beesley's Point Bridge.
Famous quotes containing the words egg, harbor and/or bridge:
“Better half an egg than an empty eggshell.”
—Estonian. Trans. by Ilse Lehiste (1993)
“Now we sing, and do tiny dances on the kitchen floor.
Our whole body is like a harbor at dawn;
We know that our master has left us for the day.”
—Robert Bly (b. 1926)
“I see four nuns
who sit like a bridge club,
their faces poked out
from under their habits,”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)