It seems like every year there is a springtime road detour in Cape May County that has you scratching your head. This year’s bombshell is on State Route 47 in the Dias Creek section of Middle Township. The culprit is sink holes in the road along the culvert that carries Dias Creek under the highway. They closed the two-lane highway, one of only three north-south travel routes, on January 20, 2020 and don’t intend to reopen it until June. Yes, your read that right. Can you imagine the Memorial Weekend snafu if they don’t find a way to allow traffic to pass, even if over bumpy gravel?
The road is closed between Springers Mill Road to the north and Indian Trail Road (County Road 618) to the south. For travelers, it may be best to detour before getting too close to the construction zone, where traffic bottlenecks. From the north in Dennis Township, turn left off Route 47 at either Route 83 or the next road left, County Road 657, also known as Court House-South Dennis Road. From the south, try using Route 9 North to Hand Avenue or Route 9 to Mechanic Street to Goshen Road. Either of these detours will have you smiling by missing the crush of traffic. Happy travels!