Replacement of the Watervale Road bridge over Winters Run, between Bel Air and Fallston, is set to begin around May 18, which will require closing stretches of roads on both sides of the bridge for an estimated seven months, Harford County announced Wednesday.
Watervale Road will be closed to thru traffic between Mt. Soma Court and Vale Road, and Vale Road/North Tollgate Road will be closed between Carrs Mill and Jenny roads. Motorists who use those roads should find other routes, the county announcement said.
After several years of delays caused by design and rights-of-way issues, the Harford County Board of Estimates awarded a $2.9 million contract for the bridge replacement project to JJID Inc., of Bear, Del., in early April.
The project qualifies for federal funds under the Federal Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program. The county will consequently be reimbursed for 80 percent of its cost, or about $2.3 million, according to the memorandum given to the Board of Estimates. That will leave the county paying roughly $573,000.
The existing bridge has been considered unsafe by inspectors for years. The county erected a temporary span around the original bridge in 2009, while it worked on a replacement plan. The bridge is frequently used by motorists as a short-cut route between the Bel Air and Fallston areas.
There is a 15-ton weight limit, but the temporary bridge is only wide enough to permit one vehicle to cross at a time. The new bridge will be wide enough to permit vehicles traveling in the opposite directions to cross at the same time; however, the T-intersection with Vale and North Tollgate roads by the eastern end of the bridge will remain.
Questions about the project can be directed to the Harford County Department of Public Works Bureau of Construction Inspections at 410-638-3217, ext. 2442.