Meeting tonight to preserve county's oldest bridge
The Centre Avenue bridge linking Newtown Borough and Township dates to 1796. PennDOT is planning to replace the historic stone walls with concrete and reuse many of the stones, but local groups fear the bridge's character will be lost.
Bucks County's oldest bridge, linking Newtown Borough and Township, is facing reconstruction, and local groups are worried the project will scar the 216-year-old stone span.
The Newtown Historic Association, the Newtown Creek Coalition, and First National Bank will discuss PennDOT's plans to rebuild the two-lane Centre Avenue bridge at 7 p.m., Wednesday, at the bank's offices at 9 W. Centre Ave. The meeting is open to the public.
The project, scheduled to go out for bid this spring, will include dismantling the stone walls, which date to 1796, and erecting concrete walls that will use some of the original stones. The work on the bridge -- the fourth oldest in the state – will not affect its place on the National Register of Historic Places, PennDOT officials have said.
Mike Sellers, a former borough councilman, said the original stones will be used as tokens on the façade of the walls, and the historical character of the bridge will be lost.
The 11-foot-wide bridge over the Newtown Creek between State and Sycamore streets carries more than 7,800 vehicles a day. It is in fair shape but is structurally deficient, PennDOT officials have said.
The bridge's distinctive arches will be maintained, officials have said.
The work, which will cost an estimated $750,000 , will be done within the next two years. Once started, it must be completed within four months, officials have said.