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Politics & Government

Upper Milford Supervisors Optimistic About Renovation of Yeakels Mill Road Bridge

Engineering work will continue and bids will be sought later for construction work on bridge.

The Upper Milford supervisors now are more optimistic about the renovation of the Yeakels Mill Road bridge, following a report from Township Manager Dan DeLong during the April 21 supervisors meeting.

The supervisors had been concerned about whether the township can afford to fix the bridge. Consequently, the board decided in February to get an estimate from Rettew Associates of Allentown for the renovation of the Yeakels Mill Road bridge in addition to the proposal the company already submitted for engineering fees for the project.

Rettew Associates subsequently submitted two estimates, DeLong told the supervisors. The first estimate, for repair of the deck of the bridge, is $62,000. The second estimate, for the replacement of the deck of the bridge, is $72,000.

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“It does seem like a reasonable price,” DeLong said. Board of Supervisors Chairman Steven Ackerman agreed, adding, “In the current economy, it could be less.”

DeLong recommended that the township direct Rettew Associates to continue with the engineering design and the supervisors agreed. The township later will put the construction project out to bid.

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Supervisor Robert Sentner raised the concern, however, that the bridge project is not part of the current year’s budget. But, DeLong said the township might not spend as much as originally anticipated this year on the East Macungie Road project.

Due to a partial collapse of a culvert running under East Macungie Road in October 2010, a low point in the road has been reduced to one lane, with stop signs in both directions.

The township budgeted $135,000 to fix East Macungie Road, DeLong said, but it might cost closer to $65,000. Further, he said, the Yeakels Mill Road bridge project might not get done until 2012.

The Yeakels Mill Road bridge crosses the Perkiomen Creek. Township officials have said the center beams of the bridge are structurally sound.

However, there is corrosion on the two steel beams that support the outer edges of the bridge. The township has kept motorists away from the outer edges of the bridge by using plastic stakes, called delineators, to direct traffic toward the center.

The township also installed a sign for eastbound traffic on the bridge: “STOP. Opposing traffic does not stop.”

A report recently released by Transportation for America mentioned the Yeakels Mill Road bridge, built in 1960, as . All three have posted weight restrictions.

In other business on April 21, DeLong said the township received 17 proposals for engineering services for the township – some from the Lehigh Valley and others from outside the area.

The Engineer Selection Committee plans to meet April 26 to review the proposals. The committee ultimately will make a recommendation to the supervisors.

T & M Associates of Bethlehem has been Upper Milford’s engineering firm for 11 years. However, Sentner first raised the issue of whether the township should choose a new engineering firm during a Feb. 17 supervisors meeting.

Sentner was concerned that T & M Associates had submitted a high bid for a project in the township on two occasions, including an engineering fees estimate for the renovation of the Yeakels Mill Road bridge.

The supervisors decided on March 3 to advertise for proposals from other engineering firms, though T & M Associates was advised that it could submit a proposal as well.

The supervisors subsequently appointed the Engineer Selection Committee: Sentner, DeLong, Planning Commission member Matthew Hunter, Upper Milford resident William Weber and Brian Miller, planning coordinator for the township. 

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