A Mercer County-maintained bridge that crosses over a branch of the Stony Brook on Pennington-Rocky Hill Road will be closed for three months for emergency repairs beginning Feb. 11, according to Mercer County officials.
The decision to close the bridge, which is on the outskirts of Pennington Borough, was made after it was discovered that the bridge deck was structurally deficient, Mercer County officials said. The bridge will be closed around the clock while repairs are being made.
Detours will be set up on Old Mill Road and Federal City Road, although motorists will have access to Pennington-Rocky Hill Road up to King George Road from the west and up to the bridge from the east, county officials said.
Hopewell Township Municipal Engineer Mark Kataryniak told Hopewell Township Committee last week that both lanes of the bridge have to be closed.
Hopewell Township Committee member John Hart had asked whether the work could be done one lane at a time, but the answer is no, Kataryniak said.
Kataryniak said Old Mill Road has “two weak links” as a detour route. One of the weak links is the road’s alignment. It is a winding road. The second weak link is its tendency to flood. Mercer County officials are looking at contingency plans, he said.
Mercer County officials assured him that they would do everything they could to expedite the project, Kataryniak said. County officials said that weather permitting, the project will be completed in less than 90 days, he added.
The project is being completed by the Mercer County Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and is consistent with the county’s ongoing efforts to improve its bridges, Mercer County officials said.
