Repair funding: a heavy weight for historic bridge

MILFORD — The county owns it and the state is responsible for repairing it, but Milford Borough seems to be the only entity worrying about retaining the Mott Street Bridge. In a town that loves its history, parting with a 105-year-old bridge does not sit well. But county officials say they can’t pay for repairs, and the state’s infrastructure funding shortfalls have grown to epic proportions. Borough President Matt Osterberg announced Monday that the N.J.-Pa. Joint Interstate Bridge Commission will make grant money available to Pike County to replace the Mott Street Bridge with a new pedestrian bridge. He said the borough needed to add its endorsement for the county’s grant application. Repairs to the old bridge for pedestrian service would run to $900,000. “Nobody’s going to spend that kind of money,” Osterberg said. Councilman Norman “Red” Helms said the existing bridge needs to be repaired. He recalled the 1955 flood, when the bridge was Milford’s only link to the south after the U.S. Route 209 bridge was washed out. Helms said Pike should not be let “off the hook” for its responsibility so easily. The bridge bears a historic landmark plaque and one resident expressed concern that it would be lost. “It would be a shame to lose it,” she said. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s what happens when things aren’t maintained,” Osterberg replied. “We have two choices: this (the new bridge) or nothing. Something has to be done,” he added. The council deferred any action on the grant and agreed to ask one of the county commissioners to appear at a future meeting to explain the situation. In other business Monday, following a closed session, the council agreed to direct Solicitor John Klemeyer to file suit against Three-G’s Construction for various and continuing code violations at 115 East Harford Street, approved $5,780 for continuation of the midtown traffic study, and recessed until this Monday, June 11, at 7 p.m.