Storm-Damaged Historic Bridges At Princeton Preserve Set for Rehabilitation

PRINCETON, NJ – The Council on Monday, adopted a resolution granting a $947,200 contract for the rehabilitation/replacement of two pedestrian footbridges at Mountain Lakes Preserve.

The contract was awarded to Colonnelli Brothers, Inc. of Hackensack after the Municipality received and publicly opened the bid for the contract in February this year.

Around $316,174.50 of the construction cost will be offset by a $395,218 matching grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust – the remainder is allocated for design, cultural resource studies, and construction administration, according to a memo by Assistant Municipal Engineer, Jim Purcell.

The two pedestrian footbridges include a historic stone arch bridge and a second stone bridge carrying the Red Trail and the Green Trail over streams in the Mountain Lakes Preserve.

Both have deteriorated over the years and suffered significant damage during Tropical Storm Ida in 2020.

“The historic stone arch bridge on the Red Trail is a contributing structure to the state and nationally designated Princeton Ice Company historic site. It has varying degrees of erosion at the arched bridge footings, substandard parapets with missing stone, leaning and / or misaligned spandrel walls, and other surficial mortar issues,” Purcell said in his memo.

“The Green Trail bridge is also a stone bridge that suffered erosion and undermining of the footings during TS Ida. The reconstruction of this bridge is not included in the grant.”

Department personnel and the qualified purchasing agent have reviewed all bids and determined that the bid submitted by Colonnelli Brothers, Inc. was "responsible and responsive.”

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