Township Joining Effort To Preserve Historic Bridge

Newtown Township has joined Newtown Borough and a group of concerned community members in an effort to protect the historic integrity of the Centre Avenue Bridge.

The township’s Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously voted to send a letter to PennDOT requesting another meeting about the proposed rehabilitation of the historic bridge. On Tuesday, Newtown Borough Council took a similar action.

The 200-year-old bridge, which crosses the Newtown Creek and is the oldest in Bucks County, is slated to be repaired by PennDOT. But PennDOT’s plan for the project, which proposes to dismantle the bridge down to the arches, has caused concern among some in the community.

PennDOT’s current plan for the bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is to fill the interior with concrete and pour a concrete slab roadway. The new concrete walls will be veneered with sliced pieces of the existing stone.

Representatives from The Newtown Historic Association,  and the Newtown Creek Coalition have united in an effort to protect the historic integrity of the bridge. The groups have hired an independent preservation specialist to assist in encouraging PennDOT to ensure the repairs are done in a way that’s sensitive to the bridge’s historical significance.

On Wednesday, former supervisor Jerry Schenkman asked the board to send the letter to PennDOT and express the township’s support of a historically sensitive rehabilitation.  Several members of the community also spoke on the issue, stressing the historical importance of the bridge.

“It’s a very significant bridge,” borough resident Cathy Fink said. “This is a national treasure that we have locally. It is the oldest bridge in Bucks County and the fourth oldest in the state. This is really a treasure that we all have to respect and cherish.”

In February, PennDOT presented its proposal to rehabilitate the bridge, which carries more than 7,800 cars a day on average. 

Later that month, The Newtown Historic Association,  and the Newtown Creek Coalition held a public meeting to discuss alternatives. PennDOT was invited to attend but declined.

State Senator Chuck McIlhinney and Representative Steve Santarsiero support the group’s efforts to preserve the historic integrity of the bridge and have sent individual letters to PennDOT to request a follow-up meeting.