
The replacement of the Magnolia Road bridge will probably not be finished until mid-February.
That’s the word from Somerset County engineer Matthew Loper, who sent an update letter to the township that was read at the November 22 Council meeting.
Work on the $375,000 project is at a standstill while a new culvert is being ordered and fabricated, Loper said.
The bridge, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ida, falls under Somerset County purview because all culverts, pipes and bridges on municipal roads that have a span greater than five feet are owned and maintained by the County, Loper said.
Loper said the County expects to place the order for a precast box culvert with the fabricator this week, after which it will take about two months to create.
Once the culvert is delivered, it should take about two weeks to install it and reopen the bridge, Loper said.
In his letter to the Township, Loper said that the initial attempts to find replacement parts for the bridge were not successful “in that the original size of the existing bridge opening (10′-8″ wide x 6′-11″ high) is no longer manufactured as a standard section size.”
“Our contractor will remove the damaged metal plate arch bridge and prepare the site for installation in a planned fashion so that there is no delay from delivery to installation, repaving the roadway segment and reopening Magnolia Road,” Loper wrote.
Loper said the County will look to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reimbursement for the project.
Magnolia Road is closed to through traffic, and will be for the duration of the project, Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said.