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The Jackson Township Board of Supervisors took steps to begin repairs on the East Main Avenue Bridge at their Feb. 3 meeting.
The board voted unanimously to allow the borough engineer to survey the bridge, submit permit applications and prepare the necessary bids.
Engineer Stephen Sherk said they received a report in 2023 detailing what bridges in the township needed attention. The East Main Avenue Bridge going over Owl Run Creek has priority 2 and priority 3 recommendations.
Priority 0 or priority 1 would require closing the bridge and immediate attention. Priority 2 recommendations mean the municipality should address the work within about two years. Priority 3 means they should add the work to their future schedules.
The main concerns with this bridge are related to the scour, which is the erosion of the soil around a bridge’s foundation caused by flowing water.
“It recommends backfilling the scour hole along the far abutment and in the upstream channel,” Sherk said. “The priority 3 is to construct rock protection along the upstream embankment and to supplement the eroding rock protection along the rear left wing wall and then place rock protection along the upstream and downstream banks to mitigate further bank erosion.”
Sherk said to fix the scour, they usually put different sizes of rock that will prevent the scour hole from growing or coming back.
“You basically have these deep pockets where it erodes, so it might erode in one spot and then deposit the sediment somewhere else downstream,” he said. “So usually, these recommendations are a balancing act.”
Road foreman Tim Hibshman said some of the recommended work has already been completed in the past two years, including resealing the near and far deck joints that are between the bridge and the roadway.
Since getting supervisor approval, Sherk said he will now submit a GP-11 permit application, which is needed to register with the DEP.
There is currently no timeline or cost estimate for the project, but Sherk said they are aiming for sometime before the end of the year to complete repairs. In the meantime, he said residents shouldn’t be concerned about going across the bridge.
“It’s important to do it, but it’s not anything that’s an immediate emergency,” he said.
In other business, the township will have a public hearing on Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. prior to the regular supervisors meeting to hear public feedback on Ordinance No. 1-2025 – Solar Ordinance.
This is an entirely new ordinance, not a revision to an existing one. If approved, it will apply to solar facilities that create electrical energy primarily for offsite use. Houtz said it would only apply to future major solar farms. The ordinance is available for review on the township’s website.
The Jackson Township Board of Supervisors will meet next at 60 N. Ramona Road on Feb. 18 following the public hearing at 7:30 p.m.
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