Mott Street Bridge's history may be preserved amid repairs

By Frances Ruth Harris
MILFORD — Construction on the decaying Mott Street Bridge may begin as soon as next summer, according to the engineers handling the project.
The work is expected to take a year, the engineers told the Pike County Commissioners at their meeting last week. They said the timeline depends on how smoothly the bidding process for contractors goes.
Making presentations before the commissioners were Lindsay Allen, architectural historian at Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson in Philadelphia; and Michael J. Lamoreaux, principal and director of operations with McGoey, Hauser and Edsall Consulting Engineers of New Windsor, N.Y.
The 1903 bridge is on Milford's historic register and is eligible for the national register. If the project receives federal funding, that means preserving historic parts of the bridge, the engineers said. The bridge was reconstructed in 1973, closed to vehicles in 1988, and closed to pedestrian traffic in 2007.
The bridge is intended only for foot traffic, and will connect existing trails in Milford and Dingman Township. The Pinchot Greenway Trail connects Milford Beach, the northern terminus of the 32-mile McDade Recreational Trail, with Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford. Connections will also join the area Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River to Sawkill Glen.
The possible use of the bridge by emergency vehicles is also under consideration. Truss stringers and floor beams with pins will hold the bridge together.
Partners in the bridge renewal project are Milford Borough, Dingman Township, Pike County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and the National Park Service (NPS).
David Weinberg, a Milford Borough councilman, asked if the public would have access to a "swimming hole" near the bridge once construction begins. When told it would not be possible to swim during the construction, Weinberg expressed his unhappiness.
The commissioners said told Weinberg, who asked about NPS ownership, that they would be happy to transfer the ownership of the Mott Street Bridge to the park service. But while it's a great idea, they said, such transfers are complex.