"Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2026, with work taking place outside of the current bridge footprint." That is how Mayor Tim Carney's 96th Street Bridge Replacement Update put it on April 27, and it is the timeline most of us have been working from since.
Fall 2026 is here, and the timeline has moved. Stone Harbor Boulevard has two landmarks on the way into town, the drawbridge over Great Channel and the Wetlands Institute on the causeway. This winter neither one is on the schedule residents last heard about. The old bridge will be in service longer than expected. The Wetlands Institute building looks the same from the road, but its public programs have ended there for now, and its staff and aquarium animals are being relocated.
The Bridge Replacement Moved to September 2027
The update came from the county, not the borough. The 96th Street Bridge, County Route 657, appears on Cape May County's 2025 Bridge Replacement Plan. At the Board of Commissioners' July 14, 2026 meeting, then-County Engineer Mr. Church gave a revised date. According to the meeting minutes, construction of the new bridge "was expected to begin this September. However, due to the government shutdown and subsequent delay from the Coast Guard, that has been delayed until September 2027."
Here is the April borough schedule next to the county's July update:
| Phase | Borough update, April 27, 2026 | County update, July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement construction begins | Fall 2026, outside the current footprint | Delayed until September 2027 |
| Existing span removed | September 2027 to Spring 2028 | Not restated |
| Temporary span for summer traffic | Summer 2028 | Not restated |
| New span installed | Fall 2028 to Spring 2029 | Not restated |
| Final testing | Summer 2029 | Not restated |
| Existing bascule span in service | Until removal | "Approximately two more years," with emergency repairs first |
The minutes do not lay out a new schedule for the later phases. If the start moved a full year, the April dates for span removal, the temporary span and the new span probably can't hold as written. Until the county publishes a revised sequence, the only firm new date is September 2027.
The old span is getting repairs first
The delay set off a second project. The county had deferred repairs on the existing bridge because a replacement seemed close. With the existing bascule span now needed "for approximately two more years," Mr. Church directed the consulting engineer to start designing emergency repairs "to keep the bridge functional and safe."
At the July 28 meeting, the minutes record him saying "the bridge is not in any jeopardy at this point." He added that the structural repairs need to be done because replacement "will not be for at least another two years," and doing them now "would help avoid any emergency bridge closures before the span is replaced." At the same meeting the board approved an emergency design contract with WSP USA for repairs to the stringers of the bascule span. It also raised WSP USA's bridge engineering contract by $609,076.06 for 96th Street Bridge rehabilitation work.
The July minutes do not give dates for that repair work, and the county had not posted lane closures or changes to bridge openings as of its July update. The county's commissioners' meeting minutes are the place to watch for those.
The Wetlands Institute Building Is Empty for Now
A mile up the causeway, the change has already happened. The Wetlands Institute's last day of public programming at 1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard was Monday, September 7, according to its August 11 announcement. Since then the building has been dark to visitors. The institute's Reimagine FAQ says all staff are moving to a transitional location so it can "safely elevate the Salt Marsh Trail, revitalize the surrounding ecosystem, restore more marsh acreage, and create a reimagined marsh campus."
The animals are part of the plan too. The institute says it will move its aquarium animals temporarily to the Aquaculture Innovation Center, in partnership with Rutgers University, because that center's circulating seawater systems can hold them.
Here is what is happening on the property you drive past:
- October 2026 through spring 2027. Construction on the Salt Marsh Trail, which is being raised two to three feet and widened. The goal is to finish before sensitive wildlife return.
- The material. Executive director Dr. Lenore Tedesco told The Philadelphia Inquirer that dredge material from Avalon will be spread on the trail and the land around it to create new high marsh. The paper also reported that the existing elevated metal boardwalk "will remain as is."
- Spring 2027. Planting along the trail. Other areas need a season to settle before more planting. When the project is complete, the boat house will have been replaced with a modest structure and more than five acres of marsh restored.
- Through September 2029. Research and monitoring to measure how well the project works.
- The building, with no completion date yet. The new building is being designed by the architecture firm DIGSAU. The institute says it has its state permits and Middle Township Zoning Board approvals and is "working toward starting this building phase in late fall of 2026" as fundraising continues. In September, the Inquirer reported there was no final estimated cost or timeline yet.
The trail work is paid for separately from the building. The institute reports a $3.075 million Natural Climate Solutions grant from New Jersey's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative program for the Salt Marsh Trail Revitalization. The building depends on the institute's donor campaign.
Where to Find the Wetlands Institute Starting November 7
The institute reopens Saturday, November 7, at the New Jersey Coastal Conservation Center, 600 North Delsea Drive on Route 47 in Cape May Court House. The building was formerly NJ Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory Center for Research and Education. Here are the details:
- Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the institute's usual fall and winter weekend schedule.
- Admission: Free for members. Non-members pay $10 for ages 13 and up and $8 for ages 4 to 12. Memberships carry over unchanged.
- Recurring programs: Seven Mile Times lists seasonal science activities, Marine Teaching and Touch Tank, Creature Feature and Craft, Seashell Sunday, and special Science Features.
- On site: The newly renovated center has education space, the institute's Tidepool Shop, trails and native plant gardens.
- Homeschool dates: "Community and Daily Life" on Thursday, November 19, at either Estell Manor or the conservation center, and "Stars and Spines" on Thursday, December 17, at the conservation center. Both run 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and cost $15 per student per lesson or $36 per student for the semester, according to the institute's homeschool page.
The new location adds a drive to a Saturday visit. The trip runs back over the 96th Street Bridge, past the closed campus, and on toward Route 47. The bridge is the one piece of that route that stays the same for at least two more years.
The Holiday Weekend Arrives Over the Old Bridge
Thanksgiving weekend in Stone Harbor goes ahead with the same bridge, the same downtown and a normal holiday schedule. The borough's 2026 Island Holiday Weekend listings put everything within a few blocks of 96th Street.
Friday, November 27, per the borough's event page:
- 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Holiday Market and Carousel at the Water Tower Lot, along with a scavenger hunt.
- 12:45 p.m.: Cape May Dancers.
- 1 p.m.: Paw Prints Pet Parade on 96th Street.
- 5:45 to 6:15 p.m.: Tree lighting on 96th Street.
- 6 to 9 p.m.: Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Night in the Business District.
Saturday, November 28, per the borough's listing:
- 9:30 a.m.: Registration for the Kids Holiday Downtown Dash, which starts at 10 a.m.
- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Holiday Market and Carousel at the Water Tower Lot.
- 6:30 p.m.: Stone Harbor Christmas Parade, starting on Third Avenue at 107th Street and ending at the 95th Street beach lot.
The Saturday event page has a typo that labels November 28 a Friday. The borough's 96th Street Business District calendar lists it as Saturday, which matches the 2026 calendar. Plan on Saturday evening for the parade.
Holiday weekend visitors coming from the mainland will cross the same bascule span the county is now planning repairs for, and the same one this year's headlines expected to be replaced. Even with the original schedule, the borough's plan had normal bridge operations continuing through summer 2027. With the county's September 2027 start, the drawbridge you know will carry this holiday weekend's traffic and next summer's too.
If you own here and spend part of the winter away, I'm glad to keep an eye on the county's bridge updates for you and tell you when repair dates are posted, so a closure doesn't catch you off guard on the way in. Reach out to Joseph Butler any time. Let's Connect.
