Ocean City - Rt.90 Bridge

View of the Rt.90 Bridge from Ocean City, Maryland, United States. This camera is located on a high tower, so with heavy winds and rain the image may be blurry. (Nov. 27, 2009) Businesses in the north end of Ocean City were probably more thrilled than anyone else when the Route 90 bridge reopened this week, because they suffered more than most as a result of the bridge being closed for major repairs. The State Highway Administration shut down the northern bridge into the resort in mid-October after the severe structural damage was found. While the repairs were going on, those entering and exiting Ocean City had to use Route 50 at the south end of town or travel through Delaware. Most business owners breathed a sigh of relief when the bridge reopened on Tuesday afternoon, weeks ahead of schedule. They said people were not making the trek to the northern part of town and their businesses saw a decline they believed was a result of the bridge closure. "The Route 90 bridge, I believe, affected us greatly. We rely on a large customer base from the Ocean Pines area and I live there myself. It used to be a quick trip across the bridge but now it's 16 or 17 miles to get here," said Sean Tushup, general manager of Donald's Duck Shoppe in the Gold Coast Mall on 115th Street and president of the mall's merchant's association. All the merchants in the mall reported declines in sales figures that Tushup said are likely attributed to the bridge closure. While the mall is typically a quiet place during the week at this time of year, he said the increase in shoppers during the weekends the stores usually see did not happen while the bridge was out of commission.