Originally expected to start in 2023, the Somerdale Road Bridge rebuild project (Gloucester Township) will start in early January of 2025… after adjustments were made in the project plan to maintain two lanes of traffic throughout the entire project.
Camden County recently put out a Press Release announcing the $3.7 million project which is funded through State and County funds. The project is expected to take 2 years to complete.
The Somerdale Road Bridge is located approximately 1,300 feet northwest of Chews Landing Road and crosses over the North Branch of the Timber Creek. As a point of reference, Gloucester Township maintains a small community park in the immediate area… Heritage Park.
It will be a complete replacement of the bridge along with drainage improvements and repaving of the roadway approaches.
In my visit today I could see that there also is a large pipe crossing the bridge which I believe is a GT MUA sewer pipe… I would imagine that would be replaced as part of the bridge project also.
This is a full new rebid of the project from a few years ago.
My understanding is based on community and emergency services feedback stating the importance of maintaining 2 lanes (one in each direction) of traffic during the entire construction process… it was decided to adjust the project plans to support that requirement. This changed the requirements enough that the project was rebid.
Interestingly, while this would appear to be a more complex effort with the requirement to maintain the two lanes of traffic, and prices seem to only go up as time passes… the new bid is actually $400,000 cheaper than when the project was moving forward two years ago!
This project is incredibly important to maintain safety on our roadways and to ensure the strength and longevity of our county’s infrastructure. We know this has been a project of concern for many residents, so we are thrilled to get to work and make this area safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.”
“…during construction, traffic will still be able to move through the area. So, while there may still be some slight delays, we can keep the flow of traffic moving and avoid any major disruptions.”
Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the Department of Public Works.
I’ve had this in my queue to write for a few weeks now, but had it slightly “back-burnered” waiting to lock in a more solid starting date.
On Tuesday I just happened to drive down Somerdale Road on my way to the White Horse Pike and saw dozens of construction officials standing on the bridge… in what appeared to be a initial kickoff meeting for the effort.
I wish I’d stopped to take a photo!
In my return visit today I can see that two large digital construction sign are on the site of the adjacent Heritage Park announcing the project is to start on or around January 6th 2025.
The drone images shared here are from two years ago, but I did take some new photos this morning of the bridge… and simply based on the exposed upper elements you could see that considerable wear has taken place on the concrete railings, and you can only imagine the likely aging and deterioration of the bridges substructure which are all reasons why this bridge was targeted for a rebuild.
In my February 2023 article I shared that I tracked the construction of the existing Somerdale bridge back to 1936, making this an almost 90 year-old concrete structure.
Additionally, when visiting two years ago I had found the the remnants of a 110-year old bridge which is only about 25 feet upriver, where the stone abutments still have the dedication plaque from 1910 listing the Bridge Committee members, Freeholder and County Engineer of the time.
Incidentally the County Engineer in 1910 was J.J. Albertson who was a famous family in Camden County, owing a large home and farm in Magnolia. That home is slated to become converted into a Wedding and Event space (more on that very soon)
If you want to read a little bit more about the history of that immediate area and the roadway which led to the Gabriel Davies Tavern, check out the second part of my article from February 2023.
It’s amazing to me to think that over 300 years ago this little segment of Timber Creek was a main passageway for area residents, who would use a public boat landing to dock while they visited the Gabriel Davies Tavern!
