Upper Milford supervisors, at the Dec. 5 meeting, directed Township Manager Daniel DeLong to prepare bids to design and build a replacement for Yeakels Mill Bridge in the southern end of the township.

The reason for seeking bids, at least for now, is primarily to see how much the project might cost.

DeLong reviewed some of the history of the bridge, which is of substandard width and needs major repairs. A year or two ago, the township hired a consultant to estimate and evaluate the costs and pros and cons of replacing or repairing the bridge. It was estimated at that time it would cost about $72,000 to replace the deck of the bridge, but when actual bids for that project came in at about $156,000, officials decided this was not money well spent and decided to do nothing.

DeLong suggested rather than pay another consultant to do the design work, it might be better to bid both the design and the construction.

DeLong said there are some potential problems which complicate any work to be done on the bridge.

For one, there is a bog turtle colony near the bridge, which means any work on the bridge would have to be done between Nov. 1 and April 1, when the turtles are not nesting. (Protected under the United States Federal Endangered Species Act, the bog turtle is considered threatened in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as of Nov. 4, 1997. Changes to the bog turtle's habitat have resulted in the disappearance of 80 percent of the colonies that existed 30 years ago.) There is also an exposed water main running under the creek in that vicinity.

DeLong said the bridge has been repaired before, but its width is still substandard, so if just the outer decks were replaced, it would still have to be posted. Repairing the bridge might get 20 more years of use out of it, but it would still be substandard.

He said this is the major remaining bridge in the township that needs attention in the next five years.

The township postponed doing a lot of work in the wake of the economic downturn, he said, but the reserve fund is gradually coming back.

"A design/build bid is just a way to get an estimate," he said, then the bridge could be evaluated to see whether it's worth replacing.

Supervisors agreed with his proposal and authorized him to prepare bids.

DeLong also told supervisors he has talked with PennDOT about the problem with tractor-trailer trucks being detoured from Route 100 onto St. Peter's and Shimerville roads. He said PennDOT is looking at replacing one of the bridges whose condition has led to the detours, and also at improving the signage so fewer trucks will use St. Peter's Road.

In other action, supervisors canceled their Dec. 19 meeting. They will meet Dec. 30 to adopt a final 2014 budget and for any other business.