Demolition of deteriorating Meadows Road Bridge begins
Don’t expect quick replacement for one of oldest spans in area
Northampton County has begun demolishing the oldest bridge in Lower Saucon Township this week after years of closure, deterioration and safety concerns.
Contractor Grace Industries started demolition on the eastern half of the 102-foot, county-owned Meadows Road Bridge before moving to the western half, according to the county’s Public Works Department director, Michael Emili.
He expected the demolition to take two weeks if there are no weather delays and to cost $164,000. That will be paid by Northampton County and PennDOT, he said.
Emili said the county will eventually replace the bridge, but that work likely won’t start until 2024.
Northampton County closed the bridge after a PennDOT annual inspection in 2018 found advanced deterioration.
Problems with the structure have included cracking along the road, the sides of the bridge bulging out, and nearby properties flooding because of the bridge getting clogged, Emili said.
He said the bridge also hasn’t been safe because of a vertical incline in the middle, which has caused vehicles to collide because drivers didn’t see each other in time.
The bridge’s demolition likely won’t have any impact on traffic or residents in the area, Emili said, since it was already closed.
The Meadows Road Bridge, built in 1858, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 and is one of a few examples of a four-span stone arch bridge built between 1826 and 1921 that exist in Northampton County, according to the Lower Saucon Township website.
County commissioners originally authorized just shy of $900 to build it after recognizing the need for local farmers to transport their grain to the nearby Levi S. Moyer grist mill.
Lower Saucon council member Priscilla deLeon said she’s always advocated for the bridge’s preservation and that the deterioration could have been avoided if the county followed PennDOT guidance for properly repairing stone structures.
“I’ve always felt that you need to save your history to identify who you are,” she said. “[It’s] a beautiful bridge. It really annoys me to drive down these big interstate highways and [see] bridge after bridge after
bridge going across the road, and they all look the same. What are we leaving for the next generation?”
Emili said proper maintenance and repairs are why the bridge stood for so long,
before concerns of safety and deterioration couldn’t be addressed any longer without demolition.
“We certainly understand the sentimental value that the bridge has,” Emili said.
“If preserving and rehabilitating it was a viable option for us, it’s something we definitely would have considered. Unfortunately, there’s just a litany of issues with the bridge.”