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PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE www.pinebarrenstribune.com
Vol. 2 – No. 24
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February 10, 2018 – February 16, 2018
Hanover Street Bridge to be Replaced After 86 Years PHOTO BY VINCE DEBLASIO
The Hanover Street Bridge in Pemberton Borough, pictured, is suffering from severe corrosion, cracks and holes.
Councilman Urges Area Businesses to Prepare for Main Thoroughfare’s Closing By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON BOROUGH—Hanover St., one of two main thoroughfares that run through the Borough of Pemberton, is scheduled to be closed for a while later this year to allow for a bridge replacement and officials here are searching for a way to minimize impact on local businesses. The Hanover St. Bridge, built in 1932, which carries Hanover St. over the Rancocas Creek’s north branch, is scheduled for replacement by the county following several temporaryemergency repairs to it over the past few years. One of the emergency repairs was made last October, in part, after officials were contacted by this newspaper about the contents of a photograph taken underneath the bridge by a boater in August 2017. The photo showed that the bridge’s primary support beam (girder) is severely rusted with three holes in it. Two of the holes are about the size of tennis balls, while one is at least the size of a basketball. Other elements of the bridge, also severely rusted, are missing pieces as well.
“Due to its deteriorated condition, the bridge is inspected by the state every six months,” said Andrew Robotin, a spokesman for the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders. “In addition, the county performs an inspection every month to monitor its condition.” Robotin said repairs to the 104 ft. by 31 ft. bridge have been made on an “as needed basis” in order to allow the bridge to remain open to traffic in the interim, but its replacement is inevitable. More than $11,302 has been spent since 2016 on materials to conduct the repairs, according to copies of bills provided by the county to this newspaper. “Repairs have been made to its floor beams, stringers, bridge decking, lateral braces, and expansion joints,” he said. “The bridge is scheduled for replacement in 2018.” Councilman Tim Quinlan, aware of the plan to replace the bridge, urged his colleagues to work with area businesses now to prepare for the anticipated closing and minimize the impact. “I am hoping Councilman Robert Brock can discuss with our police officers contacting all of the businesses to ask for ideas,” he said.
He was particularly concerned about the impact the closure will have on Rico Foods, a business in the borough that has approximately 60 employees. “That is our largest employer,” he said. “They also own the fifth most valuable piece of real estate or ratable that we have here in town.” Quinlan said that if the police don’t have the ability to contact local businesses about the bridge, Mayor Harold Griffin should send out a letter to Rico Foods. “Mr. Mayor, if for some reason the police don’t have the ability to do that, I would hope that you can take it upon yourself to direct a letter to Rico Foods and say to them ‘We’re interested in your welfare. We know this is going to be happening. Is there anything you want to suggest to us?’” Quinlan said. “But, we need to be moving on that.” 182 pages of records related to the Hanover St. Bridge, obtained through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) Request, show that inspectors from 2015 to 2017 have found numerous cracks in the bridge’s stringers or parallel steel beams supporting
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