Bridge To Close In Long Valley As Phase 2 Of County Project Begins

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Despite the stormy weather in recent weeks, work on the 150-year-old Long Valley Mountain Road stone bridge appears to be ahead of schedule.

Morris County plans to begin Phase 2 of the rehabilitation work on the Schooley's Mountain Road bridge on Monday, July 10.

According to county officials in charge of bridge maintenance, the 21-day closure will begin after the morning rush on Monday. They hope to finish the work before the start of the school year on Aug. 23.

On June 16, the restoration of the bridge, a functional landmark in the German Valley Historic District, began. Phase 1 was completed in less than the 51 days that had been planned.

For Phase 2, a complete bridge closure is now required to allow the contractor to remove and replace all material above the stone arches. Weather permitting, the work is expected to take 21 days to complete.

"While the county understands this is a hardship to anyone commuting this section of Schooley’s Mountain Road, this historic arch bridge has served the community for nearly 150 years and residents can look forward to having a safer, better-looking bridge in a few short months," county spokesperson Vincent Vitale said.

To complete this project as quickly as possible, construction will take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and most Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There are no plans for overnight construction at this time, but the bridge must remain closed at all times.

For the duration of the project, temporary traffic signals have been installed at Naughright Road and Flocktown Road, as well as Naughright Road and Fairview Avenue.

For the full closure, detour signs have been installed, and traffic will be redirected to Flocktown Road, Naughright Road and Bartley Road, county officials said.

Morris County will fund the million-dollar project, which will include rebuilding the downstream wall and removing all material above the stone arches.

The plans also include the installation of lightweight concrete and a new waterproof membrane on top of the arches, which will extend the bridge's life by 30 to 40 years, according to county engineers.

"When you have historic structures, like we have, especially ones that everybody drives over 12 times a day, eventually, it has to be replaced. It's better to do it proactively than to have it fall down," Washington Township Mayor Matt Murello said.

CMS Construction Corporation of Plainfield is the contractor on the project.