The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-03-23
The MulIica River Bridge.

On Wednesday of next week the Bur
lington County Board OF Freeholders
will hold special session for the purpose
of considering the subject of awarding q
contract for building new supports fol
the Mullica River bridge, project that
has been under discussion and which
has caused considerable thought for q
long time. What the Burlington county
members have in mind has not been
disclosed, but the matter will be given
most careful consideration.
Atlantic county Freeholders appear to
think they have the entire control Of the
matter, having awarded contract, and
they are said to be thinking of forcing
this county to pay one-half of the ex-
pense. AS THE NEWS related last week
it was only after legal proceedings were
resorted to that Atlantic county aided in
building the bridge now in position, and
that was less than twenty-five years ago.
The evidence that was taken in the case
then is on file in this county and it was
shown by some of the witnesses for the
DIRECTORS that there was not any need of
q bridge, that there was not sufficient
travel to warrant building bridge and
that it would be an expensive luxury not
calculated to draw trade In either di-
rection.
But there seems to have been change
in mind over all these objections and
now it seems to be of the utmost neces-
sity to have bridge and a good one.
There is no suggestion that a new
structure be erected at present, merely
that the abutments of the bridge be
made stronger and be built of concrete,
and the cost of that work is to be over
one hundred per cent. more than 1t cost
to build the entire bridge in 1891. With
the abutments strengthened, the next
proposition will be new structure.
1t has been shown that 1t would cost
little to change the approach to the
bridge on one side and then it would be
undoubtedly cheaper to build an entire
new bridge few feet from the present
location. There will be opposition to
closing the bridge SO that travellers will
be compelled to make detour of other
roads and temporary bridge will be de-
manded 10 the new structure might as
well be considered and let the old one
take care of the travel during the build
ing.
The ideas of some Of the witnesses to
the effect that there would never be suf-
ficient travel to warrant this bridge have
proved to be unwarranted. Now there
Is much travel. Automobiles are used
in great numbers and the bridge is utiliz-
ed in getting to and from New York and
Atlantic City. OF course the Atlantic
City people see things through a differ
emit glass now. Then there is q posi-
bility of a trolley road being built along
the line of this highway some time and
new, strong bridge will be of great ad-
vantage. But there has not been a sug-
gestion yet made that would warrant
Burlington county spending the price of
the original bridge, md<ely to strengthen
the abutments of the old one. There is
no necessity for getting into legal con-
troyersy, neither is there any reason to
allow Atlantic county to force Burling-
ton to spend money to aid in what seems
to be a pet project of their own. Our
Board should carefully consider this
entire question. take stand and stick
to it.
There seems to be an intense desire or
interest on the part of some people in |
county to get this work of re-
done as soon as possible, |
and from the eagerness with which the
high bid was snapped up it looks as
though the county has lots of money to |
throw into the water. The conditions
the abutment which seems
to be the chief item under discussion,
are so vague that the contractors hardly |
knew how to bid. The whole thing
seems to be not under shadow" but
absolutely under the water which is very
deep at the point where the new work is
to be done, and there is a possibility OF |
much guessing having been resorted to |
in order to prepare the bids. The Bass
River bridge, just completed, cost ST., 900, |
this amount covering the entire construc-
ton, which includes bridge 240 feet
long, with lift draw.
The Mullica River bridge is three times
the length of the Bass River bridge, and
it follows as conjecture, If nothing else, |
that the cost for an entire new structure
oughtnot to be over three times as much
and the fact that the bridge was built
add to this conjecture. Yet the low
bidder for building new foundation,
wants $4,000 and the Atlantic county
Freeholders seem to think that is quite
reasonable.
Former Judge Higbee. who has seemed
to be very much interested in this work,
is reported to have said the bridge was
liable to go down, with consequent suits,
criminal and civil, yet one of the bridge
tenders, two winters ago, saw tons of
ice strike this very dangerous abut-
ment" and he failed to notice q tremor
in the structure. What is the use of
spending an enormous amount on the
abutment. with the prospect of having
to build new superstructure soon, when
new bridge can be built at much less
cost? The Burlington County Board OF
Freeholders need not be 'sbluffed" into a
proposition that does not seem feasible
or necessary. The same influences that
gave so much trouble in the building of
the Bass River bridge will demand what
they deem to be their rights In this
matter and will ask for temporary
bridge in order to relieve them from
making long detour to go over daily
route. The present bridge, dangerous"
as 1t may be reported, will probably
stand the strain for little time yet. In
building a new bridge the contractors
can easily determine what will be needed
at the place where it is proposed to put
up the bridge and will not be cropping in
the dark over q condition Of foundation
which seems to have been q very per-
picking problem in the present case and
one which seems to have been the main
reason for the high bids which have
been submitted.
Personal.
Captain Elton A. Smith has returned
from a trip to Savannah, Ga.
Mrs. Aubrey S. Worrell spent Sunday
with friends in Burlington.