Old York Road stone bridge slated for reconstruction in 2005.
By: Sarah Winkelman
UPPER FREEHOLD The stone bridge on Old York Road, which may predate the Revolutionary War, suffered a minor mishap June 5 when some of the deteriorating bricks that make up the archway on the north side of the road fell out of the arch. The resulting hole closed Old York Road between the Mark Harbourt soccer complex and the Grand at Old York development.
Gregory Bitsko, the chief bridge engineer for Monmouth County, said the county is filling the hole with structural concrete to make it safe for drivers. Mr. Bitsko said Tuesday that the bridge was expected reopen sometime this week, depending on the weather.
In March, a sinkhole that formed near the Mill Pond bridge closed a section of Main Street in Allentown for more than a week. The sinkhole, which measured 4 feet in diameter, formed after an unused spillway below and near the bridge collapsed, according to Monmouth County Assistant Engineer Joseph Ettore. The spillway was used to feed water to The Old Mill, but it had not been in operation for years.
Emergency repair of the sinkhole included sealing the spillway and then the sinkhole above it. The sinkhole was filled with a flowable concrete that is hard enough to allow traffic over the bridge but is easy to break apart when a total reconstruction of the bridge commences later this year.
Mr. Bitsko added that the stone bridge on Old York Road is up for reconstruction in 2005.
"Part of the reconstruction process is determining whether the bridge is, in fact, a historical landmark," he said. "There is doubt as to whether the bridge existed during the American Revolution. The first step will be a review of information gathered by local historians. We want to address any concerns voiced by local historians."
After the historical evaluation, it is possible that the stone bridge will be removed in favor of a more stable structure. The historical evaluation and preliminary meeting to discuss the reconstruction process will take place in the beginning of 2004.
"If the bridge is in bad shape and is a danger to motorists then we will do what we can to record and preserve the structure, but it might have to be taken out," he said.
According to John Fabiano, president of the Allentown/Upper Freehold Historical Society, prior to the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, as the British were retreating from Philadelphia to New York, Capt. Charles Stevenson of the Queen’s Rangers was wounded on the bridge while reconnoitering on June 23, 1778. Capt. Stevenson survived the wound, but was shot and killed by a sniper later that same day after returning to Crosswicks.
While doing research for the Road to Monmouth 225th anniversary celebration, Mr. Fabiano came across a reference to a stone bridge in Allentown in the Charles R. Hutchinson papers. In a letter written by Sarah Stafford to Allentown public officials, Ms. Stafford recounts being shown the location of a stone bridge where Capt. Stevenson was shot prior to the Battle of Monmouth.
"After finding this reference, I asked a local crossing guard, Alice Smith, who grew up in the Upper Freehold area if she was aware of any stone bridges near Old York Road," Mr. Fabiano said. "Ms. Smith said we should look at Stone Bridge Run, the tributary of Doctor’s Creek, on old maps, which we did. We saw the bridge on the map and were very excited."
Mr. Fabiano said that the bridge facade is made of cut stone, which is located on the south side of the road.
"We suspect that the bridge existed at the time of the American Revolution and we’re pretty sure it was built sometime before that," he said. "I would really enjoy finding out the exact date of construction and who built it. We know Old York Road was laid out in 1684 by orders of Deputy Gov. Gawen Lawrie to connect Perth Amboy and Burlington."
To view pictures of the Old York Road bridge, visit: www.roadtomonmouth.com/allentown.html.

