HIGHTSTOWN: Major Route 33 bridge work to begin

By Christina Whittington, Special Writer
   HIGHTSTOWN — Beginning June 28, vehicles weighing more than 7 tons will not be permitted to drive across the Route 33 bridge in the borough.
   At the June 18 Borough Council meeting, members voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2012-159, which established a weight limit for part of Route 33 during the repair and reconstruction work of the bridge. The bridge was damaged from the floodwaters of Hurricane Irene last August.
   While emergency repairs were made by the New Jersey Department of Transportation immediately after the storm, on Thursday, the DOT will begin major structural work set to last three months.
   ”As of today, the job is scheduled to start on June 28, and it is anticipated to be a three-month project,” said Business Administrator Michael Theokas.
   He said it is planned that the heavy work will be complete by September 28.
   However, “As with all projects, there can be delays due to many variables. But that is the schedule,” Mr. Theokas said.
   The 7-ton weight restriction will have an effect on buses that travel through the borough.
   According to Mr. Theokas, Coach USA, the company that supplies the NJ Transit with its buses, has been notified of the restriction.
   Additionally, as the bridge construction will overlap with the beginning of the fall school year, Mr. Theokas said the borough will be in touch with the East Windsor Regional School District.
   Police Director James Le Tellier also reported that from June 9 to June 16, a radar detector was set up facing south by the municipal parking lot to assess the amount of traffic coming through town. The radar detector kept track of every vehicle traveling on Main and Mercer streets.
   ”In one week, 83,834 vehicles went across that bridge,” Mr. Le Tellier said. “That’s a lot of volume, and that is what we are concerned about — public safety.”
   As for the restriction of school buses across the bridge during construction, Mr. Le Tellier said the DOT will be “moving steel and concrete. That is why we cannot allow school buses to go through there” as well as other large vehicles.
   The detour route for heavy vehicles, including tractor trailers and buses, still was being finalized as of press time.
   ”The detour for vehicles over 7 tons is still being completely finalized with input from our police director and engineer,” Mr. Theokas told the Herald on Wednesday, “but the trucks and buses will be detoured around the borough as much as possible and kept on the major state roads, Route 130, Route 133 and Route 33.”
   According to Mr. Theokas, traffic of vehicles weighing under 7 tons will be permitted to drive on the bridge.
   He said, “During parts of the construction, the three lanes that are there currently will be cut down to two lanes, one in each direction. But the bridge will always be open for regular vehicular traffic.”
   The parapet wall and some of the bridge structure were dated. When Hurricane Irene caused flooding over the bridge on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, the DOT did a full inspection of the bridge. It was then determined by the DOT to move forward with the reconstruction project.
   Route 33 is a state road, and the bridge reconstruction project is funded fully by the DOT.
   According to Mr. Theokas, “The borough is not involved with any of the contracts, billing . . . We are involved on the planning end.”