The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The replacement of the Route 518 bridge over the D&R Canal is expected to begin on June 1, and will probably last through August.
The state Department of Transportation contracted with Tarheel Enterprises of Morgan to perform the $2.8 million bridge replacement.
Weekday work, which will occur between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., will result in a closure of the eastbound lane (toward Route 27) during the time work is performed. The lane will re-open after 4 p.m.
The westbound traffic lane, toward Route 206, will remain open during the daytime work.
Full closure of the bridge, with a 24-hour detour, will start around July 6 and is expected to last until Aug. 5.
The bride was originally built around 1944 and was replaced in 1984, according to documents on file with the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission. The current bridge has a steel structure and a wooden deck supported on a timber piling.
Inspections revealed sever corrosion on the bridge’s beams, resulting in NJDOT taking temporary remedial action.
The new bridge will be a pre-cast concrete structure with a concrete deck.
The commission originally objected to the concrete being used, saying that it dod not fit in with the context pf the D&R Canal Park and other bridges in the park.
The construction schedule is weather dependent.
