Mechanic Street Bridge Slated For Replacement In 2025
NEW HOPE, PA — The Mechanic Street Bridge is slated for replacement in 2025, a project that could take at least eight months to complete and require a prolonged closure of the street and a segment of the Delaware Canal Towpath.The Borough Council this week heard details of the project from Eric Speicher of LaBella Associates, a Scranton-based consulting engineering firm hired by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to replace 12 bridges and culverts in the Delaware Canal State Park, including the Mechanic Street span."Seven bridges and culverts are already under construction. This will be part of the last group that goes out," Speicher told council.According to Speicher, DCNR has identified the Mechanic Street Bridge as structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, and in need of replacement."We're looking at an in-kind replacement of the bridge," said Speicher. "There will be the signature red faux truss on the outside of the bridge to match the other bridges along the canal," he said. "We'll also be continuing the brick sidewalk across the bridge but it will probably be stamped concrete to mimic the brick that's out there now."We're going to make this as complementary as possible to blend with what we already have out there," said Speicher.According to Speicher, the bridge replacement project will require the closure of Mechanic Street and a detour utilizing West Ferry Street. "A number of years ago when Ferry Street was closed, they used Mechanic Street as the detour. We will be doing the same thing here but we're flipping it around. It's the cleanest, it's the easiest, and it's the only one that's available to us to keep traffic moving around the construction site."The portion of the towpath beneath the bridge will also need to be closed during the construction of the bridge. "We can't have people walking through an active construction zone," said Speicher.The timeline of the project has yet to be worked out.Speicher initially told council they're looking at a summer start of construction. However, after some discussion with council, he said that timeline could be backed up to a November start time to avoid the busy tourism season.With that said, Speicher said the quicker they can work out a timeline the better."If something were to happen to this bridge and it were to go into a closure, it's out of our hands. That would be something separate that we don't have a timeline on," said Speicher. "We have control over this bridge right now. The best we can do is to get it replaced.""I can absolutely assure you that everyone in this room wants that bridge working. As much as we are anxious in trying to think through all the hurdles here, we definitely want the new Mechanic Street bridge," said Council Vice President Louise Feder."Mechanic Street is such an important access point for all of us and we're so glad DCNR is giving it the attention that it needs," said Feder.Feder, however, asked the consultants to do what they can to shorten the time line of the project and to avoid the summer season. "That would be a huge benefit to our town in just the way it functions because of how integral Mechanic Street is to both pedestrians, traffic and that section of the towpath, which is used heavily."She added, "During COVID, we did turn Mechanic Street into pedestrian only for chunks of the day. That may be worth exploring so the restaurants don't feel as cut off. As we continue our discussions, that should be an important part of those talks."Feder also asked whether the stairway access to the Delaware Canal Towpath would be maintained and whether there are any plans to add lighting to the steps. Speicher said the plans include maintaining access from the bridge to the towpath, but there are no plans for lighting given the lack of a nearby power source.Council President Ken Maisel asked that the contractor give consideration to the positioning of its equipment on the street to avoid any impositions with the residents and businesses. "I'm concerned that a very important part of the borough isn't overwhelmed with trucks and equipment."While the borough and the consultant hammer out a project timeline, council asked the administration to reach out to the merchants and residents on Mechanic Street to get their feedback.The article Mechanic Street Bridge Slated For Replacement In 2025 appeared first on New Hope-Lambertville, PA Patch.
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