4 Hackettstown Bridges Deemed Deficient

Of Warren County's 303 bridges, about 10 percent have been rated structurally deficient, including four in the Hackettstown area.

Additionally, 16 percent are considered to be functionally obsolete and not in line with current lane and shoulder standards, or occasionally flood, according to National Bridge Inventory data. The average age of a Warren County bridge is 59 years old.

The data shows the bridges in the area of Route 46 and Route 604, the Allen Road bridge near Washington, a Waterloo Valley Road bridge and the Mountain Avenue bridge near Route 57 as being functionally obsolete. The Charles Street bridge near Route 46 and the Route 46 bridge that intersects with the Musconetcong River were rated as being structurally deficient.

About one in four bridges in the state are either in poor condition or unable to handle current traffic loads, the data shows.

Each bridge was rated based on structure, substructure and its deck to determine the type of work needed to fully restore the bridge. Some of the more highly-trafficked bridges are under the ownership of the state and recommended work varies from smaller fixes to full-scale replacement.

In a report card for New Jersey's Infrastructure Needs included in the Facing Our Future Report, the state was given a grade of D for bridges. The costs to repair all Warren County bridges would top $82 million.

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