Schooley's Mountain bridge reopens. What's next on Morris County repairs list?
Morris County officials celebrated the reopening of the Schooley's Mountain Road bridge this week, more than three weeks before repairs to the nearly 150-year-old structure were originally scheduled to be complete.
A group that included Morris County commissioners, Washington Township committee members and several construction workers cut the ribbon on the bridge Monday ahead of its reopening Tuesday morning.
The span had been closed for the prior 21 days as part of a two-phase project that began on June 16. Officials had hoped to finish in time for the reopening of school on Aug. 23, and a combination of good weather and quick work by the contractor led the county to easily meet its goal.
"We couldn't ask for a better partnership in having this bridge done," Washington Mayor Matt Murello said at Monday's ceremony. "I can't wait to get people back over the road and get these detours out of town."
How bridge was restored
The county-funded work, coming in at just over $1 million, included paving the road and structurally reinforcing the walls and arches above the south branch of the Raritan River. The updates will extend the lifespan of the bridge, a vital part of Washington's German Valley Historic District, another 30 to 40 years, officials said.
The initial phase of the project closed the bridge's southbound lane to remove and reconstruct the wall. It was expected to take 51 days to complete, but the second phase - a full bridge closure to replace all material above the stone arches - began less than a month later.
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"There are so many factors that can delay construction, particularly all the heavy rains in July," said Stephen Shaw, a county commissioner and liaison to the Public Works Department. "In this case, finishing the job three weeks ahead of schedule is tremendous. The county’s employees, Washington Township and the contractor deserve a lot of credit."
CMS Construction Corp. of Plainfield oversaw the work.
The original Schooley's Mountain Road bridge was built in 1876 and was replaced by the current structure in 1906. A 1994 restoration added a walkway and concrete reinforcement to the upstream wall of the bridge, repairing that side to the extent that no further rehabilitation was necessary in this summer's project.
Next county bridge projects
With the Schooley's Mountain project complete, Morris County Public Works Director Chris Vitz expects to soon start a Dover project demolishing and replacing the Richard Avenue bridge over McKeel Brook. The county has completed five bridge projects in the past year, Shaw said, and is in the process of reconstructing the historic bridge over Mill Brook in Randolph.
"The roads and bridges Morris County is responsible for are among the best maintained - possibly the best maintained - in the state as we follow a plan developed 10 years ago that also included doubling the miles of county roads paved," said Commissioner Director John Krickus.
Kyle Morel is a local reporter covering Morris and Sussex counties.
Email: kmorel@njherald.com; Twitter: @KMorelNJH
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Schooley's Mountain Road bridge in NJ reopens after construction
