New Hope / Solbury School Administrators Keep Sending Buses Over Deteriorating Ferry Street Bridge

Look at the pictures, and decide for yourself if you want the New Hope-Solebury or Solebury School student in your family bussed over a bridge the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says is "deteriorating" and in such "poor condition" that it needs to be completely replaced, but keeps at the same posted weight limit as when built 50 years ago -- 20 tons.

Two parallel roads, feet away, would cost no extra time or money to use, and provide a safe detour until work by the DCNR starts next year.  David Hansel, Director of Operations for NH-S Schools, determines which streets buses travel upon, and could change the route with a snap of his fingers, but won't.   His phone number 215-862-8183.

If the pictures concern you, ask the school administration if they visited the bridge and and can guarantee it's safe for your kids.  Superintendent Ray Bocutti's phone is 215-862-5372 ext. 6226, if you want to go to the top and he's not traveling. 

If you can, go take a look for yourself.  The open sidewalk isn't even safe anymore.

The engineers seem gagged, the State won't respond to the photos below, and the NH-S Administration has expressed no concern or interest so far over the level of risk to our children.

Decide for yourself.

Me?  I'm driving my kid to school for now.

School bus maneuvers around seemingly stunned and stopped car carrier on Ferry St. bridge in New Hope, PA.

One of two completely corroded supports beneath the wheels of the bus.

Broken roadbed. The PA DCNR admits the roadbed is "rusting".

Support, or lack thereof, under still-open sidewalk. The DCNR didn't know about this when asked.

Main supporting beam under school bus pictured above.

Another primary supporting beam.

Does deteriorating Ferry Street Bridge threaten New Hope and Solebury P.A. schoolchildren?

By Charlie Sahner

The State Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has decided to begin completely replacing New Hope's Ferry Street Bridge spanning the Delaware Canal in November of next year, and aims to finish sometime the following spring.

But if the bridge is deteriorating and needs to be replaced sooner than later as the DCNR claims, why hasn't the agency lowered the weight limit of 20 tons, established when the structure was in a much newer condition?

Wayne Nguyen, who is coordinating the bridge replacement project for the DCNR, acknowledges that there has been "some section loss" and that the "deterioration is probably on the deck itself."  While it's true, he says, that the main "beams of the bridge are rusted, there's not a lot of section loss."

When asked about the apparent corrosion of supports attached to the beams, Nguyen said, "The sidewalk has been closed.  We usually inspect every two to three years, but the engineers recommended that we inspect every year."

He said that inspectors from Raudenbush Engineering, Inc. examined the bridge this year and determined that the 20 ton limit was "okay."

When asked if it might be prudent to lower that limit or redirect some traffic, particularly school buses, one block in order to ensure the safety of schoolchildren, Nguyen replied "I'm not sure how much a school bus weighs; unless it weighs more than 20 tons, the bridge should be able to handle it."

In addition to large trucks and tour buses, buses from at least two area schools pass over the Ferry Street Bridge twice a day.

According to WikiAnswers, the "average, 38', 84 passenger school bus weighs in between 11 and 14 Tons (22,000 to 28,000 pounds) curb weight without passengers. When you add 84 passengers, say high school students, that can add up to 14,700 additional pounds in weight, bringing the total up to about 42,700 pounds."

Admittedly, some of the buses using the bridge may weigh less than the average figure quoted, and perhaps the images of a flaking, peeling and corroding bridge depicted above can be explained away by those with an engineering background, unlike this reporter.

But the question remains: are drivers and passengers, especially schoolchildren, being unnecessarily put at risk? 

"Grand Reopening" Celebration for Delaware Canal Overlooks New Hope Problems

By Charlie Sahner

The public was invited to the party today in Easton, PA celebrating the "grand reopening" of the Delaware Canal and adjacent towpath following repairs necessitated by three devastating floods on the nearby Delaware River from 2004-2006. The organizers, a mixture of private groups and state bigwigs, mention in their publicity efforts that it's really the towpath part that's open from Easton to Bristol, PA...they'll fill it all up with water later.

But what exactly is a towpath without a canal? If it's smack in the middle of the #1 tourist destination in Bucks County, one might call it a fiasco for the residents, visitors, merchants and wildlife of New Hope.

Of course, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) confirmed on July 9 that they will not have the the New Hope portion of the Delaware Canal repaired and refilled this summer. A spokesperson for the DCNR said the problem was funding. "It won't be until at least the fall until we can start," she said. "The money is not in place at this point."

But interviews with several individuals familiar with the DCNR and construction say bureaucratic indecision and a lack of a cohesive, strategic approach to the entire New Hope canal section is to blame. "They just don't know what to do in Harrisburg," said one individual who asked not to be identified. "They can't make a decision, they're over their heads and don't know what to do."

Another person familiar with masonry and plumbing who asked to remain anonymous said that the biggest problem areas could be lined with dark green plastic, which would be virtually unnoticeable once the canal is refilled with water.

But could a plastic liner last a year or two to allow time for more enduring restoration work during the off season?

"Hell," said another individual familar with the situation who asked not to be identified. "It could last three, four years, or more."

So, if the state doesn't have funding in place to repair one of the busiest sections of the Delaware Canal and truly complete the project, why not? Is the DCNR official in charge unable to get the job done, or is New Hope just a low priority for the Harrisburg department?

We may never know.

Meanwhile, sporadic work continues almost daily at different points along the aging canal walls, mostly repointing the masonry and moving dirt around. The activity has a distinctly piecemeal appearance to the casual observer. Ducks and geese sit in hot, caked mud waiting for relief; the giant lock at the southern end looks frozen and forlorn.

There will be "no joy in Mudville" today, and no celebration anytime soon in New Hope for a water filled, functioning canal.