This is the last summer Jersey Shore drivers will see Egg Harbor Bridge construction

There's a lot of time to question the world when you're stuck in Jersey Shore traffic.

That might be why our latest reader-submitted "Curious Philly" question is about construction along a Garden State Parkway bridge that connects Atlantic County and Cape May County, where temporary lane closures have caused delays over the last few years.

>>> CURIOUS PHILLY: Where we help you find answers

This is what you asked us to look into:

"When will the Garden State Parkway bridge over Egg Harbor near Ocean City, N.J., be finished?"

The drive across the Great Egg Harbor Bridge is 1.5 miles long, with a stunning scene of the bay below. But for the last five years, a handful of giant cranes have lined the span as a $219.1 million construction project to replace the southbound bridge and rehabilitate the northbound one has continued.

The good news? This is the last summer drivers will endure any pains caused by the state-funded upgrade. By next spring, the work will be complete, allowing motorists to cross crane-free between Somers Point and Upper Township.

The original two-lane bridge was built in 1956 to accommodate both directions of traffic. A second span was built in 1972 and northbound traffic was shifted onto it. But in recent years, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority found that the 50-year-old crossing had significant structural deficiencies, and decided an upgrade would be needed to maintain coastal evacuation routes. Photos of the span at the time showed rusting steel beams and crumbling concrete structures.

The first phase, which began in 2013, was completed three years later with the construction of a new southbound bridge that extends 3,840 feet over the Great Egg Harbor Bay and Drag Channel. The original bridge and the Beesley's Point Bridge, which was the old Route 9 bridge, were also demolished in 2016. Construction was done by Route 52 Constructors, operated by Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. and F.C. Wagman Inc.

Now, all northbound and southbound traffic is using the new, four-lane span. The northbound bridge is set to reopen in spring of 2019 once crews replace much of the deck and structural steel.

"The work remains on target to be completed by then," said Turnpike Authority spokesman Tom Feeney.

On average, 20,000 cars pass through the roadway south of the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza in both directions each day, according to the 2017 Average Annual Daily Traffic report. In summer months, those numbers double. The toll plaza near the bridge charges $1.50.

Dan Cozewith, a summer resident of Ocean City, said he's excited to see the finished product and an "improved parkway."

"It's a temporary inconvenience for something that'll be improved and alleviate traffic ultimately," said Cozewith, who uses the bridge when traveling to the Shore from North Jersey.

Early on in the project, the state decided to replace the span's structural steel after discovering it was in worse shape than previously known. In August 2015, a massive beam rolled off of a truck into the right lane of the northbound bridge, causing severe delays to remove it.

Since then, there have been some off-season temporary lane closures or shifts that have impacted traffic. But parkway delays in the summer, Feeney said, are mostly the result of sunny weather drawing people to the Shore.

"There is a lot of traffic on the parkway in the summertime. Any delays people are experiencing at Great Egg have more to do with that than they do with the bridge construction," he said.

The southbound bridge will have a pedestrian walkway that will open in 2019 to allow fishing, biking and walking. It coincides with a greater effort to make the area more bike-friendly. In 2012, the Route 52 bridge connecting Somers Point and Ocean City was completed with its own 2.5-mile pedestrian lane.

“We’re excited to see all our roadways shored up and more pedestrian-friendly,” said Somers Point Mayor Jack Glasser. “People now enjoy taking these bike paths all over the place.”