UPDATE: Little Bridge, Big Impact If Closed

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated that phone calls to Joe Dee, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, were not immediately returned. Patch did speak with Dee, who was not immediately able to provide the information needed. The article stated the information would be added when available.

Thousands of drivers along Route 202 just north of the probably don't even notice the small concrete span they cross right at the Bernards Township border leading in or out of Harding Township, in Morris County.

But they likely could become more familiar with the bridge's location if the final pieces in the plan for the project — anticipated to be carried out in 2012 — fall into place.

The old, corroded bridge is expected to be replaced by the state within the next year, which means that traffic will be affected on a main artery between Basking Ridge, Bernardsville and all the towns along Route 202 leading up into Morristown.

Bernards Township Engineer Tom Timko recently reported that the state Department of Transportation has worked out a plan in which the bridge actually will be totally closed only for seven days, while the structure is actually being replaced along what is a state highway. During that time, anticipated as next August, traffic from Route 202 will be diverted along Route 287, he said.

However, Timko also said that the other phases of construction are expected to stretch over several months, during which the state has vowed to keep at least one lane open.

Joe Dee, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, confirmed that the bridge, which he said was built in 1924, is on the DOT's planning schedule for replacement.

But Dee said the state must first receive final approval for Federal Highway Administration funding for the bridge replacement. "We are hoping to get that word soon," Dee said on Thursday afternoon.

"As soon as we get federal funding in place will proceed with the bid," Dee said.

Timko told the Township Committee bids for a contractor could be taken in November. Utility relocation for the project is projected to start later in March, Timko said in an email.

Dee on Thursday confirmed that the state's timeline is to close the bridge for one week in August. At that point, a precast structure, manufactured ahead of time, would be installed in place of the old bridge if all goes as planned, he said.

Timko previously had attended an informational meeting about the proposed project held about a month ago in Harding Township. Some businesses in the area had expressed concerns about losing income if the bridge was closed for a lengthy period of time, he told the Township Committee prior to attending that informational meeting.

In an email this week, Timko said the information he had picked up from the state Department of Transportation is that there are hefty potential fines that could be placed on a contractor who is late reopening the road after the planned seven-day closure period. That potential fine could be up to $30,000 a day, or $1,200 an hour, he said in an email.

The "barely noticeable bridge" just north of the Olde Mill Inn spans the Passaic River, and technically crosses the border between two towns — and also the two counties of Morris and Somerset, Timko said.