Published on Aug. 19, 5:09 p.m. | Updated on Aug. 21, 7:10 a.m.
SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The Middle Thorofare Bridge, which connects Wildwood Crest and Cape May, reopened to traffic in Cape May County Wednesday morning.
The drawbridge had been closed since Saturday when the motor broke down. Officials left it in the upright position to give commercial fishing boats the right of way.
It was initially feared that the bridge could be closed for weeks, but Cape May County Commissioner Leonard Desiderio said repair crews "made a miracle happen."
They were able to get a new motor for the 84-year-old bridge, and work was completed around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
“That is driven by an electric motor that drives a bunch of shafts, that drives a bunch of gears and lifts the bridge. It’s a very old system but it’s a very dependable system,” said Kevin Lare, executive director of the Cape May County Bridge Commission.
Lare said this is a bandaid solution while new motor parts are being custom-built. That could take 20 to 25 weeks to complete.
About half a million vehicles cross the bridge each year, mostly during the summer.