FREEHOLD, NJ – The Board of Chosen Freeholders has awarded a $6.1 million contract to replace the Main Street bridge and dam in Allentown.

 

The award on Jan. 7 followed a vote accepting an agreement with Allentown in which the borough will assume ownership of the new dam. The borough owns the 32-acre Mill Pond and land under the dam, and the county owns the bridge and roadway.

 

“This is good news for the residents of Allentown who have been waiting for work to begin on this important project,” Freeholder John P. Curley said. “The bridge and dam are very old and adjacent to historic buildings, so special care has to be taken to protect those structures.”

 

The bridge spans Doctors Creek along Route 524 (South Main Street). The dam holds back Doctors Creek to form Mill Pond. The county is shouldering 95 percent of the cost through its County Aid Program with the remaining 5 percent, about $270,000, being paid through a state Department of Transportation grant to the borough.

 

The county offered to complete the project at no cost to taxpayers in Allentown in exchange for the borough taking ownership of the dam. The dam will have a life expectancy of more than 50 years, and annual maintenance of the dam is estimated to be about $1,500. The arrangement is consistent with what the county has done in other municipalities.

 

The low bidder on the project is Midlantic Construction of Barnegat Township, whose winning bid was $6,191,496 for the bridge and dam. As part of the project, the county will install a temporary bridge during construction so traffic does not have to be rerouted.

 

Construction is expected to begin in March and could last up to 18 months.

 

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