Politics & Government

Neighbors Want Pedestrian Bridge to Stay on Seven Bridges Road

The road is scheduled to reopen April 22 but neighbors are concerned that the new bridge lacks a safety rail between the street and the walkway.

The roadway is finally scheduled to reopen next week but neighbors are concerned that the new bridge on Seven Bridges Road is not as safe for bikers and pedestrians as the temporary walkway installed for construction.

Holly Tree Lane residents have expressed concern that the new span lacks a guardrail between the roadbed and the sidewalk, according to resident Deborah Petrone. "It doesn't seem very safe to me," she wrote in a letter to neighbors on Friday.

A temporary walkway installed in September provided a designated path for walkers and bikers to use crossing over Little Silver Creek. The bridge that was replaced also had a barrier between a walkway and vehicle traffic, Petrone said.

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Petrone reached out to the mayor and county officials to request that the temporary walkway remain in place to provide a safe path for young families traveling to Point Road School from surrounding neighborhoods. The walkway is scheduled to be removed prior to the road reopening on April 22.

The county pointed Petrone back to Little Silver officials but Mayor Robert C. Neff, Jr. informed her that the bridge needed to be removed.

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"The state permit also not only requires its removal, but the county must then return the temporary site to its pre-construction condition, according to the county," said Neff in a letter to Petrone. "Because this is a county project, any concern with the lack of a guardrail on the permanent bridge should be brought to the attention of the county engineer's office."

Neff said he would contact the county to explore the borough's options.


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