Plan is to place bridge, now over Jacob’s Creek, over Woolsey Creek as part of a trail running between the Delaware River and Pennington Borough
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
A 125-year-old steel truss bridge over Jacob’s Creek in southwestern Hopewell Township would be moved a few miles to a tract of open space and replaced by a new one, if township and county officials are able to finalize plans soon.
When moved, the old bridge would give pedestrians and mounted horses a passage over Woolsey Creek, which passes through the Alliger tract. The bridge currently crosses Jacob’s Creek on Route 579 (Bear Tavern Road), a short distance south of Janssen Pharmaceutica.
The plan is to put the bridge over Woolsey Creek as part of a trail running between the Delaware River and Pennington Borough.
Because the bridge is on a county road, Mercer County has jurisdiction over it. For years, county officials have been saying the bridge should be replaced because it is not strong enough to handle modern traffic. Local opponents of replacing the bridge have said it is a historic structure that needs to be preserved.
Township Mayor Vanessa Sandom said Tuesday the bridge would be moved to the 167-acre Alliger tract, which has been preserved as open space. The tract is located near the township’s administration and public works buildings, off Route 546 and Scotch Road.
”The bridge is certainly one of the Valley’s historic treasures, which makes this decision all the more difficult for both the township and the county,” the mayor said. “I’m glad we’ve taken the proper time to consider all the alternatives, and that in collaboration with the county we’ve come up with what appears to be a super compromise solution.”
”The decision that still needs to be made is what kind of bridge will replace the one now on Jacob’s Creek,” she said. “The township Historic Sites Preservation Commission would rather have something that blends into the landscape than an attempt to make a new bridge look ‘historic.’”
The mayor said the commission is expected to make a written recommendation to the Township Committee soon about the character of the new bridge over Jacob’s Creek. The committee is expected to act on that recommendation at its March 9 meeting.
The mayor said the federal government’s economic stimulus package is a factor in the decision to act now on the bridge. “The county says they want to hear from us about this by March 15,” she said. “They want to know by then because of the possibility of applying for stimulus funding.”

