Principal Anticipates Changes Due to Rosedale Road Bridge Closure

Dilshanie Perera

The 71-year-old bridge on Rosedale Road has long been the target for a County overhaul. In a recent public meeting, Mercer County officials elaborated on the details of the bridge closure.

According to a County document, construction on the bridge is expected to begin in December 2008 or January 2009 and to last seven months. This section of Rosedale Road will be closed to traffic during that time. The renovation is expected to cost $2 million.

The new bridge will be similar in structure, incorporate design elements of the existing bridge, with shoulders and sidewalks, and will have one lane of traffic in each direction.

When built, the bridge was said to have a maximum capacity of 37 tons, but its current capacity is six tons.

In a meeting with County officials, engineers, and other groups in early October, Principal Bob Ginsburg of Johnson Park Elementary School learned of the actual capacity of the Rosedale Road bridge. “As soon as we heard that — and school buses weigh more than that even when they’re empty — the Transportation Director rerouted all of the buses that go over that bridge,” he said.

The new route involves buses turning left out of the school instead of right on Rosedale and going on either Carter or Province Line Roads to connect to Route 206. “We did that within half and hour of learning that the bridges are not certified for this kind of weight,” Mr. Ginsburg reported.

“We have a bunch of kids who live less than two miles from school whose parents drive, walk, or bike them across the bridge,” said Mr. Ginsburg. If the students’ new route after the bridge is closed is greater than two miles, they will be entitled to a bus. “We’ve already figured out who’s who and we’ll install a bus that will carry all the extra kids,” Mr. Ginsburg remarked.

Mr. Ginsburg is optimistic about the construction timetable, predicting that the bridge and road will be open in time for the beginning of the 2009 school year. Meanwhile, he envisions that traffic will increase on 206 in the mornings, and “additional transportation time will be needed for buses to get to schools — not only our school, but the high school and middle school as well.”

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