Owners of private bridge reverse course on toll

Before Sandy walloped the Jersey Shore this week, operators of the privately owned bridge and causeway into Margate had decided to waive a toll when residents evacuated the island but reinstall it when they returned.

But the owners quickly reversed their decision Thursday as residents of Margate, Longport, and Brigantine, who were being allowed back home when Gov. Christie lifted evacuation orders for those towns, took to e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook to complain.

"The decision we made to charge when they came back was wrong," Roger Hansen, president of the Margate Bridge Co., the private firm that owns the bridge, said Thursday night from his home in Northfield, N.J. "We made a mistake, and we've corrected it."

The two miles of road and four bridges, now named Downbeach Express, is one of three routes into Margate. Hansen said the toll is usually suspended during storm evacuations and reinstated when residents return.

Hansen, who noticed the postings on Facebook and Twitter, said the tolls were waived about 8 or 9 p.m. and would remain suspended through 6 p.m. Saturday.