EWING, N.J. — Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure today reopened the bridge carrying Lower Ferry Road (County Route 643) over Gold Run in Ewing Township, marking the occasion with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.
Officially known as Bridge #415.2, the structure is located between State Route 29 and Sullivan Way. The bridge construction project was completed on schedule in 135 calendar days, County Executive Hughes said.
“This was a lengthy but necessary project and I thank our residents and businesses for their patience during the construction process,” the County Executive said. “We know that these types of projects cause a temporary inconvenience, but I am committed to ensuring that our roads and bridges meet the highest safety standards.”
During construction, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic on a 24/7 basis. A detour was posted directing motorists to Route 29 to Sullivan Way then ending at Lower Ferry Road.
The old bridge carrying Lower Ferry Road over Gold Run was a reinforced concrete box culvert. The structure was considered structurally deficient due to a wide vertical crack in one of the sidewalls.
The replacement bridge is a single-span structure supported on a cast-in-place spread footing substructure. The superstructure consists of segmental precast rigid frames. There is a cast-in-place reinforced concrete deck on-top the structure and precast approach slabs protected by a 1-inch-thick polyester polymer concrete overlay. The new structure is designed to aesthetically match the old structure with a stone masonry façade and has been upgraded to current New Jersey Department of Transportation standards with a new sidewalk, open bridge railing and guide rail at all four corners.
The successful bidder for the project was CMS Construction Inc. of Plainfield, which submitted a bid price of $2,238,003. The contract was approved by the Mercer County Board of Commissioners on March 24, 2022.
In addition, Mercer County planted two dozen new trees and shrubs in the right-of-way as part of the project.