Published February 23. 2024 08:48AM
By MICHAEL HIRSCH
Special to The Press
The Kernsville Road Bridge over the Jordan Creek in North Whitehall Township will be closed for repairs this spring.
The cost is approximately $3 million for the rehabilitation which includes deck and beams, the superstructure and the roadway.
The work is being done by H&K Group Inc. of Skippack.
The company is also looking to complete the utility relocation/protection of the overhead line by the end of March.
The long-term closure of Kernsville Road will begin May 1.
The contract required date to be completed for the opening of this road is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 26,
Advanced signage is scheduled to be installed on April 17 providing two weeks notice to the traveling public of the intended road closure.
Ron Young of Penn-DOT District 5 explained the detour will be using Route 309, Tilghman Street and Route 100.
At the corner of Kernsville Road and Grist Mill road stands the historic Kern’s Gristmill and Dam on Jordan Creek.
Built in 1806, the mill belonged to Peter Kern, for whom Kernsville is named.
A gristmill is where farmers would take their corn, wheat or rye, to be ground.
The mill relied on the Jordan Creek to power the large grinding stones (millstones) which were used to grind the “grist.”
PRESS PHOTO COURTESY NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP Detour map shows using Route 309 to the right, heading south to Tilghman Street and using Route 100 north.
PRESS PHOTO BY MICHAEL HIRSCH Kernsville Road, looking west toward the Kernsville Road Bridge.
Looking east on Kernsville Road. H+K Group workers were parked beyond the bridge, they said they were going to do some measurement.
PRESS PHOTOS BY MICHAEL HIRSCH This cornerstone shows the bridge was built in 1828 and 22 miles to Easton.
A view from the bridge looking toward the Gristmill and the dam across the Jordan Creek.
The view looking south to the Jordan Creek from the bridge. The Jordan Creek Greenway is planned to connect Covered Bridge Park to the Trexler Game Preserve.
