Morris County Government: One-Lane Traffic Pattern In Place For Berkshire Valley Road, Jefferson

Press release from the Morris County Government:

July 29, 2021

The replacement of a Morris County-owned bridge on Berkshire Valley Road in Jefferson Township near Longwood Lake requires that traffic be restricted to one lane beginning today.

There will be a single lane, 11 feet in width, maintained for the duration of the six-month project. Anyone driving vehicles exceeding that width are urged to find alternate routes. The bridge, which spans a 60-inch reinforced concrete culvert pipe carrying a tributary to Longwood Lake, was last upgraded in 1970.

Morris County is replacing the existing span and both roadway approaches in the $835,000 project because of defects that include cracking and small breaks in the approaching roadway, as well as settlements and some collision damage to the existing guide rails. An estimated 9,300 vehicles cross daily over the 36-foot-wide, two-lane roadway, which leads north and south.

The project was initially stopped shortly after it started in October 2020 because of delays in construction of a culvert and the relocation of an existing gas main at the site. The culvert construction and gas line relocation are key aspects of project.  The replacement bridge will be comprised of a precast rigid frame culvert with precast wing, and it will be supported by a precast foundation. 

This press release was produced by the Morris County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.