Riverstyx Bridge to Get $1 Million Makeover from County
Bridge not dangerous, but needs work.
There's good news when it comes to Riverstyx Bridge. Then, there's bad news.
"The bridge is not dangerous, but it needs rehabilitation," said Rich Parisi, civil engineer with W.J. Castle & Associates, an engineering company that has prepared plans for the repair of Sussex County Bridge K-03 that crosses Lake Hopatcong.
Parisi and representatives from the Sussex County Department of Public Works, met for a public information meeting on Tuesday evening at the Louise Childs Branch of the Sussex County Library to answer questions about the bridge repair project.
Sussex County received a $1 million grant from the state to revitalize the 598-foot bridge that was built in 1960 and . The grant was made available through the the New Jersey Department of Transportation's 2010-2019 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
"It's also better to perform the work in advance of the bridge deteriorating any further," Parisi said. "You want to do it while it's still easy and affordable to do. It's preventative maintenance that will save a great deal of money in the long run."
"With budget cuts, it makes it challenging to do all the maintenance we need to do," said John Risko, assistant county engineer. "This grant is giving us a great opportunity to revitalize this bridge so that it could last 75 to 100 years."
Since the bridge is more than 20-feet long, federal regulations require an inspection every two years. According to Risko, recent inspection reports documented corrosion on the bridge's steel piles, which now require rehabilitation and secondary bracing.
Currently, the county is repairing or rebuilding eight of its 440 bridges, according to Department of Engineering and Planning/Sussex County Engineer Walter Cramp. "Of the 440 bridges in Sussex County, 108 of them are federally regulated," he said.
The county will be calling for bids in November on the project that is officially called Substructure Rehabilitation of Sussex County Bridge K-03, according to Sussex County DPW Project Manager Susan Delmar.
She said the county is required to sign a contract for the project by February 2011 for the work, which must be completed within a year.
Delmar said, two weeks ago, notice of the intended bridge work was sent to residents who live within 200 feet of the bridge.
There were no residents in attendance at Tuesday's informational meeting.
Paul
10:04 am on Thursday, September 30, 2010
Didn't they just perform major work on the bridge a few years ago?!?
Willa Scantlebury
1:30 pm on Friday, October 1, 2010
Dang it, not again!!!!
I go under and over it all the time and it doesn't seem so bad, alas I am not an engineer. Summer of 2008 saw resurfacing and major work. I just hope they can fix all the broken mailboxes, side view mirrors and damage to cars and property that ensues along Hudson Ave when it becomes the cut through to Maxim! Think they can get a grant for that? How about at least fixing up Hudson Ave with a new pave job and a few speed bumps when it's all said and done. Cripes, Hudson Ave has been chewed up since the sewers went in. If you're going to bid on the job throw that in will ya?
Bob Garay
9:44 pm on Friday, October 1, 2010
If the town is getting extra money to perform this work then that is great. Performing preventive maintenance on the bridge is important. This way keeping it in a state of good repair will be cost effective in the future. When you drive a boat under the bridge you will see it is not perfect and can use some upkeep. Good for Hopatcong for getting these funds. I live close enough to the bridge to know that it is a vital artery to this community and should be maintained yearly.