Commemorative plaques, one each for Lambertville and New Hope, were installed.
By: Melissa Kadish
NEW HOPE A rededication ceremony of the New Hope-Lambertville bridge Monday included a ribbon-cutting and the unveiling of commemorative plaques.
The two plaques, one for each community, will be mounted on the bridge. The ceremony and ribbon-cutting took place on the New Hope side of the bridge, in a courtyard on the side, as to not disturb the flow of traffic, Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio said.
Mayor Del Vecchio said he and New Hope Mayor Laurence Keller spoke at the ceremony. Also present were commissioners of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, its executive director, Frank McCartney, Pennsylvania and New Jersey state legislators and council members from both communities.
The bridge was closed weekdays Jan. 5 to June 7. It reopened a week earlier than expected after construction at a cost of $6.3 million was finished by J.D. Eckman of Atglen, Pa.
While the bridge was closed, the commission did what it could to decrease disruption in the two communities, including having a bus shuttle service take people back and forth between the two towns over a different bridge, one mile to the north. At its busiest, the shuttle was carrying more than 215 passengers daily.
According to a statement issued by the commission, repairs included the replacement of the flooring systems, sidewalks and handrails, miscellaneous steel repairs, cleaning and painting and various safety improvements.
Minor construction will continue on the bridge through early August, but will not interfere with traffic, according to the statement.
The bridge carries about 16,000 vehicles a day, according to the commission.
The original structure at this site was a covered wooden bridge consisting of six arch spans, which was completed Sept. 12, 1814. The bridge was 32 feet wide, but was carried away by a flood Jan. 9, 1841.
It was replaced by another wooden bridge, which was washed away in a flood Oct. 10, 1903.
The current bridge was constructed in 1904, but all substructure units are from the original construction in 1814.