Bristol Borough officials announced the soft opening of the Maple Beach Bridge some 18 months after applying for funding to rebuild the span. 

Southward Councilman Louis Quattrocchi said the soft launch of a fully replaced bridge took place Monday with a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for “sometime in September.”

“A beautiful job done by Loftus Construction” he said.

The bridge which was constructed over Otter Creek in 1915, was closed to vehicle traffic for several years due to its dilapidated condition

Pedestrian traffic, however continued on the broken down structure that connects the borough and the Maple Beach section of Bristol Township. Last summer The Public Works and Police Department engaged in a clean up and clean out the beach area on the Borough side as there were homeless encampments discovered and dismantled last September.

The indirect impact of the bridge rebuild allows for improved public safety operations for the Borough side of the property line.

Bristol Borough received a grant for just under  $344 K from Bucks County in 2017 to improve access to the bridge area for pedestrians. Those funds plus about $900 K in state and federal funding  and a $1 million dollar donation from the  Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority made as part of purchasing Bristol’s sewer plant and system also offset rebuild costs.

Last August Council awarded the bridge project  to Loftus or more than $2.1 million to reconstruct the span.

At the time Borough Engineer Amanda Fuller of Gilmore and Associates said a full package of funding for the bridge replacement project has been secured to fully fund the entire project.

Another potential benefit is easier motorist flow on Old Rt 13, which experiences heavy traffic during rush hours and for major borough related events, officials said last year.

The rebuilt bridge and roadway will now allow the police and sewer plant workers to egress through the area. It will also allow bike riders and pedestrians to travel to the backside of the property near the marsh, said Quattrocchi. Adding there is potential to do more with the area now with a fully reconstructed bridge.

“And It didn’t cost Bristol taxpayers a dime,” Quattrocchi said.