Search Site
Menu
Lieberman Blecher & Sinkevich successful in halting destruction

10/6/06

Judge blocks Sparta bridge’s removal

By LAURA BRUNO
DAILY RECORD

A 1911 one-lane timber and stone bridge in Sparta, set to be dismantled on Monday, was granted a one-day reprieve after a local homeowners association opposed the bridge’s removal today.

Superior Court Judge Catherine Langlois in Morristown granted a temporary injunction prohibiting the state Department of Transportation from dismantling the structure known as Sussex County Bridge Q-25 on West Mountain Road on Monday.

The Lake Grinnell Association, which represents 45 homeowners living near the bridge, filed a lawsuit today asking the court to block the DOT’s plans to remove the bridge and replace it with a new two-lane bridge. The lawsuit also contends Stillwater Township is violating a 1996 agreement to preserve and maintain the bridge due to its historic significance.

The case is scheduled for a hearing Monday before Superior Court Judge Theodore Bozonelis in Morristown.

“The information we received is that the bridge will be demolished and that they will try to save some pieces,” said Stuart Lieberman, the Princeton attorney representing the lake association.

“We want this bridge preserved. We need the comfort of knowing this bridge will be preserved and not that they’ll end up saying, ‘Oh, sorry it couldn’t be done.'”

The DOT agreed to dismantle the bridge and reconstruct it over a trout stream in Stillwater’s Pond Brook Park, said Jerard Murphy, Stillwater’s administrator. He said the plan does not violate the preservation agreement.

“We are trying to preserve this bridge,” Murphy said. “Whatever materials are worth salvaging will be saved … Demolish means crush up and put in a Dumpster, and that is not the intent of anybody on this project.”

In the 1996 preservation agreement, the bridge is described as an artifact of the Lehigh and New England Railroad. The bridge has been considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

“The use of locally available materials — timber and stone — in 1911, a time when most structures were being constructed of steel, is significant,” according to the agreement.

Murphy said Stillwater’s park was specially designed to receive the historic structure.

“We’d love to have the entire structure, but we’re not sure if some parts will be salvageable or if they’ll be beyond repair,” Murphy said.

The bridge has been closed to traffic for four years after an oversized truck damaged guard rails, according to the lawsuit. The bridge had been found substandard and structurally obsolete by the state 20 years ago.

Our Attorneys

In The Media

  • On the Run: Runner/lawyer DeBord out to protect the environment she loves

    Bucks County Herald, January 4, 2024

    When Brittany DeBord runs along the Delaware River canal towpath or on the trails of Tyler State Park, she doesn’t just appreciate the natural beauty of the...

    Read More
  • Gulf Coast Town Center facing foreclosure

    Naples Daily News, September 16, 2015

    Wells Fargo filed a lawsuit Sept. 8 against an affiliate of CBL & Associates, the owners of the decadeold, 1.2 million-square-foot mall in south Fort Myers for a $190.9 million unpaid loan. The center has 94 stores on 204 acres, with such anchors as Super Target, Belk, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Marshalls and Costco...

    Read More
  • Town liable for private company's leaking underground tanks, court rules

    NJ.com Jul 26, 2017

    CRANFORD -- A couple that owned a businesses in town and became sick from leaking underground tanks owned by an adjacent business can sue the township for damages because the tanks were partially ...

    Read More
  • Dark Waters: How a Class Action Catapulted NJ to Forefront of 'Forever Chemicals' Battle

    NJ Law Journal Jan 09, 2020

    As property owners become increasingly aware of PFAS contamination, and as individuals exposed to PFAS learn of the health risks associated with exposure, liability will likely affect entire supply chains.

    Read More
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
Contact Our Firm

Quick Contact Form