Great Egg Harbor Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Great Egg Harbor Bridge is a toll
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...

 bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

 along the Garden State Parkway
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway is a 172.4-mile limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer...

 in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, with tolls collected in the southbound direction. It crosses the Great Egg Harbor Bay
Great Egg Harbor Bay
Great Egg Harbor Bay is a major bay located on the southern New Jersey coast, specifically in Atlantic and Cape May counties. The Great Egg Harbor River empties into the bay....

, connecting Upper Township
Upper Township, New Jersey
Upper Township is a large township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township population was 12,115 as of the United States 2000 Census...

, in Cape May County
Cape May County, New Jersey
-Climate:Being the southernmost point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the county a popular place to escape the heat. It is in zone 7a/7b, which is the same as parts of...

 to Somers Point
Somers Point, New Jersey
Somers Point is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 10,795.The City of Somers Point is in the eastern part of Atlantic County, southwest of Atlantic City.-History:...

 in Atlantic County
Atlantic County, New Jersey
-National protected areas:* Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge * Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...

. The bridge crosses over a section of Egg Harbor Township
Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 43,323, a growth of more than 40% since the previous enumeration....

.

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
Driscoll Bridge
The Driscoll Bridge is a toll bridge on the Garden State Parkway in the U.S. state of New Jersey spanning the Raritan River near its mouth in Raritan Bay. The bridge connects the Middlesex County communities of Woodbridge Township on the north with Sayreville on the south...

). The bridge runs just parallel to US 9 as it too crosses over the water. The Beesley's Point Generating Station
Beesley's Point Generating Station
The Beesley's Point Generating Station, also called the B.L. England Generating Station, is a power plant in Upper Township, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, on the Great Egg Harbor River. The facility provides approximately 450 megawatts of generating capacity from three generating units...

 can be seen past the US 9 bridge.

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
Beesley's Point Bridge
The Beesleys Point Bridge is a bridge in New Jersey, United States, that was built privately by the Ocean City Automobile Club in 1927. Completed in 1928, control of the bridge was acquired by the Beesley Point Bridge Company. It was a toll bridge from its opening...

. 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. The Beesley's Point Bridge immediately to the west has deteriorated in the marine environment and has been closed to traffic since June 2004, although it is slated to reopen in 2012.

External links

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