The Main Street Bridge between Moorestown and Maple Shade is temporarily closed for repairs, but nearby businesses are still open and accessible.
The Burlington County Engineer’s Office ordered the span over the north branch of the Pennsauken Creek to be closed to all traffic due to structural problems involving the bridge pilings. The damage was below the water line and was discovered when the creek was lowered so a contractor could perform other repairs.
Burlington County Engineer Joseph Brickley said the closure order was a necessary safety precaution but that a mitigation plan is being crafted that should hopefully allow the span to reopen to car traffic quickly.
“Our office is working with consulting engineers and the contractor to reinforce the structure so that motor-vehicle traffic can safely be restored while a long-term fix is undertaken,” Brickley said.
The bridge is located on the Maple Shade-Moorestown border and was originally constructed in 1900 and reconstructed and widened in 1930. The structural issue involves the original span.
More than 12,000 vehicles travel over the span daily on County Route 537, which turns into West Camden Avenue on the Moorestown side.
Detours have been posted to route traffic around the span via Route 73, Route 41 and Lenola Road. Main Street remains open and the businesses on both sides of the span continue to be accessible.
“We’re asking commuters who normally travel Route 537 to avoid the area if possible to make it easier for those who live and work locally to travel,” Brickley said. “Businesses on both sides of the bridge are also accessible and we’re doing everything possible to lessen the closure’s impacts and get the bridge reopened very soon.”
