Out with the old bridge! When with the new?

Sussex County - The old Gingerbread Castle Road Bridge has gone to the scrap heap. Where the 40-year-old steel-girder bridge once stood, only a construction footbridge spans the Wallkill at Hamburg. With the old bridge gone, the beautiful rockwork that shores up the riverbanks is visible, and in the early evening mist with the shell of the Wheatsworth Mill in the background, the scene bears an eerie resemblance to a painting of medieval ruins. Close to a year ago, the county closed the old bridge to traffic, after county engineers pronounced it too dangerous for continued use. The new bridge won’t be in place until October, county engineer John Risko said. Today, a yellow plastic barrier floats in the water near the bank to prevent the rain from washing earth from the exposed riverbanks into the river and building up beneath the bridge site. The roar of heavy equipment resounds the length of Wheatsworth Road, and Ritacco Construction is at work installing new concrete seats and abutments, and widening the roadway. County officials say that Fort Miller Company of Fort Miller, N.Y., is casting the new concrete-steel composite bridge this week. The total cost of the project will come to about $900,000. The county will pay for the new bridge through a grant from the N.J. Department of Transportation. The new bridge will be a little higher and a lot stronger than the old bridge was. Although the new bridge will be constructed to the regulation 40-ton weight limit, the small bridge in Hamburg is approved to carry only 12 tons. “The other bridge is on the list to be replaced, but we have over 400 bridges that are going to need replacing but only limited funds for bridge work,” Risko added. Meanwhile, large snow plows and emergency vehicles won’t be able to use the new bridge to reach Route 23. The bridge lies at the entrance of the old Wheatsworth Mill, at the end of Wheatsworth Road, which connects State Route 94 with State Route 23 at Hamburg. Its closure cut off the connection between the two roads. The road, which begins at Gingerbread Castle Road in Hamburg and becomes Wheatsworth Road in Hardyston, is the site of Hardyston’s new town hall and police complex, which opened in December. The Hardyston Middle School and recreation complex sit next door. The new bridge is sorely needed. The bridge’s closure has cut off Hardyston Police vehicles and snow plows from rapid access to the Route 23 portion of the township.